About Us
S.C.A.R.F. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the community about the signs and prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death/Arrest. Sudden Cardiac Death is the leading cause of death within the United States, and we must combat such a deadly foe.
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Despite the staggering numbers of deaths that sudden cardiac arrest causes each year, it is not a high-profile killer. Many instances of sudden cardiac arrest occur without immediate warning, with minimal or easily overlooked symptoms. However, what most people (even healthcare providers) don’t realize is that there are plenty of signs that point towards future cardiac problems.
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In addition to the informational resources and training we provide, we are unique as an organization in that we actually also treat patients ourselves. We are on the front lines with issues of heart disease. We understand what challenges patients have to overcome on a regular basis.
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We hope you join us in our mission to reduce this epidemic of heart disease and sudden cardiac death. We appreciate your continued support.
Our Mission: Pillars
1) Increase Knowledge and Awareness of Sudden Cardiac-Arrest Amid the General Public
When cardiac-arrest occurs, it often is misdiagnosed or confused with a heart attack. Both heart conditions result in the heart not being able to oxygenate the blood and carry it to the brain, they are not caused by the same thing and ultimately result in very different outcomes. While a heart attack is caused by the blockages within arteries resulting in the constriction of blood flow to the heart. A heart attack is treatable both before and after a heart attack occurs. Whereas, sudden cardiac-arrest occurs from the electrical malfunction in the hearts rhythm, which ultimately causes the heart to fail completely, resulting in no heart rhythm (aka no heartbeat), which is followed by death.
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The importance in knowing the difference between the two lies in the treatment of the two different heart conditions. Sudden cardiac-arrest can be “treated” with an AED, which provides an electrical shock to the heart, hopefully returning the heart to it’s normal rhythm.
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It is S.C.A.R.F.'s goal to increase education of cardiac-arrest so that lives may be saved.
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2) Conduct Research to Help Treat Sudden Cardiac-Arrest and Decrease Fatalities Due to Cardiac-Arrest
The more information doctors and health care providers know about cardiac-arrest, the better they can educate and prepare themselves to provide care and treatment. Newer and more advanced ways of treatment is always an accomplishment in the eyes of medicine.
3) Teach and Educate the Public About AED's and Increase Their Placement in Public Areas
AED’s are designed to be placed anywhere so that anyone can operate them in the case of an emergency. Even though AED’s have the ability to save lives, they are not as commonly found in public as they should be.
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It is one of S.C.A.R.F.’s goals to increase the number of AED’s in public and increase publicity of AED’s to the general public so that they are familiar with the device and immediately think and turn to them in the even that cardiac-arrest occurs.
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4) Mentor and Support Future Doctors and Health Care Providers of the World
Though, AED’s are the most useful resource in the case that sudden cardiac-arrest is occurring, awareness and prevention before the event of cardiac-arrest has the chance to occur is an even bigger factor in saving lives of those at risk. S.C.A.R.F.’s mentor program aim’s at teaching and supporting students who are interested in using their skills and knowledge to prevent sudden cardiac-death and increase awareness of cardiac-arrest in society.
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As an organization that was founded and continues to be driven by practicing medical professionals S.C.A.R.F., without a doubt, excels at targeting the origin of means to publicize and spread awareness to the general public on sudden cardiac-arrest and sudden cardiac-death. In partnership with it’s increasingly competitive and exceedingly successful mentoring program.