The HEART of This Community!

As we wave goodbye to National Heart Health Month, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the remarkable people in our community. People who weave together our story of a caring, supportive and loving community. People who think of others in their time of need. People who empower Carson Tahoe Health to save lives.

George and Barb Allison are just such people. They make a contribution to the Foundation every February and have given generously to the hospital since 1999, supporting many projects such as the purchase of an Automatic  External Defibrillator (AED) for Douglas Country Search and Rescue and Carson Tahoe’s Cardiac Rehab Scholarships. This family has deep ties to our community, the Hospital, and cardiovascular health. George’s parent’s both worked at Carson Tahoe in the early days. His father was the first X-ray tech and his mother the first surgical nurse. George has fond memories of his childhood years around the hospital, but that isn’t the only reason they give.

The Allisons so generously support the Carson Tahoe Health Foundation’s Cardiovascular programs, because they have personally been affected by heart disease. In September 2009, during a visit to San Luis Obispo, George suffered cardiac arrest while driving with his family on the highway. He was given CPR by perfect strangers and had an AED used on him by the Highway Patrol, to help him hold on until arriving at an area hospital for emergency surgery.  Since receiving such life-saving care, the Allison’s passion for heart health has grown, and they are thrilled to have the ability to support the Foundation’s work when the need arises.

The Carson Victory Rollers are also such people. Good “Wheel” Ambassadors we might call them. They selected the Foundation to be the benefactors of their charity scrimmage known as “My Bloody Valentine” and raised over $500 to benefit Mission Heartbeat, which helps combat heart disease in our community.

These amazing donors make so much possible.

They weave together and support our community.

They are the reason we can save lives.

Such lifesaving support hits home for Maureen Wagoner. Maureen, like George Allison, suffered a heart attack. She was rushed to Carson Tahoe for her extensive treatment. On her road to recovery, her cardiologist, Dr. Ho, referred her to Cardiac Rehabilitation, a three-month course of integrated education, monitored exercises and the critical support.   The camaraderie and continuous support she experienced has changed Maureen’s life for the better. A recent Cardiac Rehab graduate, she now has the confidence to exercise on her own, is eating better and has even lost a few pounds!

“ I’d like to thank Dr. Ho for saving my life & the Cardiac Rehab Staff for giving me my life back. I don’t know where I would be if not for these incredible people and the care they provide!”

Extending wellness and enhancing our community’s safety net beyond our hospital walls is central to our mission at Carson Tahoe Health. We have the resources available to restore heart rhythms, should they falter, when a patient is under our direct care. But we are also aware that a person may unexpectedly experience a heart episode away from the hospital, and when that happens, every minute matters.

Experts say every year more than 300,000 Americans, of all ages, die from sudden cardiac arrest. Luckily, AEDs significantly increase a person’s chances of survival (like when the Trooper used the equipment on George). Only the size of a laptop,  an AED is able to automatically detect life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and help restore normal rhythms. This $2,000 piece of equipment DOUBLES an individual’s chances of surviving cardiac arrest. The opportunity to increase survival chances for even one person in our community is why the Foundation recently donated a portable defibrillator to the Douglas High School Athletic Program. (The school had  fixed AEDs , already, so the Foundation donated a portable model for use on the fields outside and on the bus when the team travels).

“It will not only serve to help save athletes’ lives, but coaches, referees, and community members that come to the athletic events.” expressed Kate McCaffrey, Douglas High’s first-year athletic trainer.

In February, National Heart Health Month, some amazing donors made so much possible.

They wove a tighter safety net around our community.

They thought of others in need.

They saved lives.

Every day, Carson Tahoe donors are making a lifesaving difference.  And because of the generosity of supporters like the Allison’s and the Carson Victory Rollers, the Foundation continues to provide life-saving support to our patients and community. Support like Cardiac Rehab Scholarships ($11,252 in 2016) to underserved people throughout  Northern Nevada so they can experience the same camaraderie and continuous care as Maureen.  Support like the portable defibrillator to Douglas High School so a student-athlete suffering a heart episode can have the same life-saving help as George Allison.

It’s an honor being a part of this community with YOU in it. Thank you for caring!

Donations to the Carson Tahoe Health Foundation can be made:

By Phone
(775) 445-5166

Or by Mail
P.O. Box 2168
Carson City, Nevada 89702