Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
December 16, 2025
Chicago Leader Wins National Award for Boosting CPR Readiness and Blood Pressure Awareness
TLDR
- Laura Merrick won the 2025 American Heart Association Leaders of Impact campaign by raising over $380,000, funding blood pressure hubs and CPR training to gain community health advantages.
- The campaign implements blood pressure hubs in 18 Chicago organizations, provides free monitors and educational materials, and establishes Cardiac Emergency Response Plans with CPR and AED training.
- This initiative saves lives by increasing CPR education and equitable healthcare access, making communities safer and reducing cardiac arrest fatalities for a healthier tomorrow.
- A personal story of survival inspired a national campaign that placed automated blood pressure kiosks and trained hundreds to become emergency responders in their neighborhoods.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because it addresses a critical public health crisis: cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with sudden cardiac arrests claiming thousands of lives annually due to lack of immediate intervention. By focusing on community-based solutions like blood pressure monitoring hubs and CPR training, the campaign directly tackles preventable deaths, especially in underserved areas where health disparities are pronounced. For readers, it highlights actionable steps—such as learning CPR or monitoring blood pressure—that can save lives in their own communities, empowering individuals to become part of the solution. The impact extends beyond Chicago, setting a model for nationwide efforts to reduce heart disease fatalities through education and accessible resources.
Summary
In a powerful response to the staggering statistic that over 350,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals annually in the U.S., with a 90% fatality rate, Laura Merrick has emerged as a national champion for heart health. As the winner of the American Heart Association's 2025 national Leaders of Impact™ campaign, Merrick channeled personal motivation—her mother's survival thanks to bystander CPR—into a fundraising and awareness drive that raised more than $380,000. Her victory was part of a broader initiative involving over 300 local nominees and 1,200 Impact Team members across 72 communities, all competing in a seven-week volunteer leadership effort to combat heart disease and stroke through education, advocacy, and critical fundraising for scientific research, CPR training, and equitable healthcare access.
Merrick's campaign specifically targeted the silent killer of high blood pressure, implementing tangible solutions across Chicago. Through the Embracing Community Care initiative, she secured funding to place blood pressure hubs in 18 community-based organizations throughout Chicagoland, providing free monitors, educational materials on self-measurement, and connections to medical providers. Additionally, a self-measurement blood pressure kiosk will be installed in Chicago to teach residents about hypertension control. Beyond monitoring, her efforts enable 18 organizations to implement Cardiac Emergency Response Plans, which include CPR and AED training for staff and volunteers, directly addressing the leading cause of death in the U.S. by equipping everyday people with lifesaving skills.
The campaign, which ran from September 18 to November 5, culminated in Merrick being recognized by Lee A. Shapiro, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association, for her tireless work in advancing heart and brain health. Her focus on strengthening readiness in historically underserved communities aims to make lifesaving preparedness a standard, not an exception, across Chicago. For more details on the Leaders of Impact campaign and all 2025 nominees, visit leadersofimpact.heart.org, and explore further resources on heart.org. This initiative underscores the American Heart Association's ongoing mission, supported by millions of volunteers, to drive breakthroughs in science, policy, and care for a healthier world.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by NewMediaWire. Read the original source here, Chicago Leader Wins National Award for Boosting CPR Readiness and Blood Pressure Awareness
