Newswise — The Mount Sinai Health System will host five free Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Fairs this October in honor of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month to increase the community’s knowledge about what sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is and save more lives from it by teaching lifesaving hands-only CPR, and how to properly use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Mount Sinai invites local school students and community members to attend its SCA Awareness Fairs. Attendees will be greeted by special costumed superhero characters, while being educated by Mount Sinai Health System’s every day “Heart Hero” cardiologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, emergency medicine experts, and other staffers, who will demonstrate hands-only CPR and automated external defibrillator technology. In addition, event attendees will be able to explore the inside of a Mount Sinai ambulance.

“Mount Sinai’s Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Fairs are very important to show adults and school children alike how they too can be a ‘Heart Hero’ in their community during an emergency if they are armed with the proper knowledge and skills,” says Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Vice President of Cardiac Services for the Mount Sinai Health System.

“We all have the potential power to be a ‘Heart Hero’ in our communities. Knowing how to perform CPR or how to use an automatic defibrillator can help prevent the sudden cardiac death of a young athlete on the game field or an adult whose heart suddenly stops beating,” says Conor Barrett, MD, Director of the Al-Sabah Arrhythmia Institute at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s.

SCA is when a person’s heart abruptly stops beating. It can occur due to a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, a genetic predisposition, or for no explained reason. Each year, more than 350,000 adults and children die unexpectedly from SCA.

“It is shown if within minutes CPR or and AED is used to resuscitate a person who experiences sudden cardiac arrest it may help save their life,” says Jacqueline Danik, MD, Associate Director of Cardiovascular Research and Attending Physician in the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s.

This October’s upcoming Mount Sinai Sudden Cardiac Awareness Fairs hosted between 10:00am-2:00pm are at:

 Mount Sinai St. Luke’s – Friday, October 3rd Location: 1111 Amsterdam Avenue, Muhlenberg Conference Center, 4th FloorNote: Enter at the Chapel entrance on 113th Street, between Amsterdam Ave. and Morningside Drive

 The Mount Sinai Hospital – Friday, October 3rd Location: 1468 Madison Avenue, Guggenheim Pavilion, Lobby Atrium

 Mount Sinai Beth Israel – Friday, October 10th Location: 10 Union Square, Phillips Ambulatory Care Center (PACC), 2nd Floor

 Mount Sinai Roosevelt – Friday, October 17thLocation: 1000 10th Avenue, Main Lobby

 Mount Sinai Beth Israel Brooklyn – Friday, October 24thLocation: 3201 Kings Highway, Main Lobby

About the Mount Sinai Health SystemThe Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research, and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven member hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services—from community‐based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.

The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care physicians, 12‐minority‐owned free‐standing ambulatory surgery centers, over 45 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, as well as 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the top 20 medical schools both in National Institutes of Health funding and by U.S. News & World Report.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.