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24 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 6, 2006 Halton EMS personnel celebrate life Seventeen paramedics and 36 individuals were recognized for their contributions in saving the lives of Halton residents at Thursday's `Celebration of Life' ceremony. Hosted by Halton Region's Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the event also recognized four community-based programs that are making significant contributions to improving the cardiovascular health of Halton residents of all ages. "The paramedics honoured at the Celebration of Life ceremony represent all of the paramedics here at Halton, who continuously touch the lives of thousands of Halton residents," said Regional Chairman Joyce Savoline. The theme for the 2006 Celebration of Life awards ceremony was "The Chain of Survival." Developed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Chain consists of seven links: Healthy Choices; Early Recognition; Early Access; Early CPR; Early Defibrillation; Early Advanced Care; and Early Rehabilitation. "This year's celebration focused on cardiac related emergencies, which is a category that represents about 40 per cent of the working calls that Halton Region EMS responds to each year," said Jim King, director of Emergency Medical Services. To underscore the effectiveness of the Chain, Thursday's guests included some Halton residents fortunate enough to have benefited from the speed, expertise and caring of Halton EMS staff. On the evening of April 22, 2005, Oakville resident Leeman Beckford's The four community-based programs honoured include the following: The Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (OPHEA), developed the Living School Program, in consultation with provincial partners, to motivate, support and assist school communities in addressing chronic disease risk factors of physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, tobacco use and alcohol and substance abuse. In 2002, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care released a strategy to plan and implement a province-wide initiative focused on school-based approaches for the primary prevention of diabetes. Funding was provided to OPHEA over three years to oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-driven approach to health promotion for school-aged children. Additional support was later provided by the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. The Mikey Network works to create public awareness and provide education about heart healthy lifestyles. Currently, the Mikey Network is committed to placing "MIKEYS," or public access defibrillators, in as many high-risk locations as possible so people affected by sudden cardiac arrest might have a second chance at life. The Mikey Network was established after Heathwood Homes partner Michael Salem died of a heart attack while playing golf in the Muskokas. Halton Region has acquired two defibrillators through the Mikey Network which are deployed in the Halton Regional Police vehicles patrolling Nassageweya. The Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Program provides rehabilitation and education to individuals with heart disease. Participants include those who have had angina, a heart attack, heart surgery or congestive heart failure. Through exercise and education, this program improves quality of life and life expectancy. Patients attend exercise classes twice a week during a six-month program. Individuals benefit from programs specifically designed to meet their needs. Along with exercise, education about secondary prevention of heart disease is a core component of the program. There are monthly educational workshops that cover topics such as nutrition, medication, and risk factors. The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is offered at both OakvilleTrafalgar Memorial Hospital and Milton District Hospital. Walk the Hills Program is an activity program in which participants register how much walking, running, skating, swimming, etc. they do over an eight-week period. Activity is measured by time in minutes. Registration is done online, by category ­ individual, family, senior, and group ­ and each registrant tracks their activity daily. For more information about Halton Region's Emergency Medical Services, please call Halton Region at 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866), TTY 905-8279833, or visit the Web site at www.halton.ca VICTORIA ROBERTS / OAKVILLE BEAVER FOR MIKEY: Halton Region Chair Joyce Savoline and Jim King, director of Halton Emergency Medical Services, presented Morty Henkle, Executive Director of the Mikey Network a Heart Health Promotion Award on behalf of Hugh Heron. wife Phyllis witnessed him go into cardiac arrest. She immediately called 911. The EMS call taker coached Phyllis in CPR, which she performed until EMS paramedics arrived. Oakville firefighters were first on the scene and delivered one shock with their defibrillator. Halton EMS paramedics arrived and needed to shock four more times before a pulse was restored. Oakville's Peter Magiroglou had been feeling unwell for a few days. On October 14, 2005 he was feeling so bad that his daughter Anita decided it was time to call 911 as her father was clutching his chest and short of breath. Call Taker Stacey Crawford stayed on the line with Anita and offered prearrival instruction. While the paramedics were enroute, Peter collapsed and became unresponsive. When the paramedics did their initial assessment, they determined that Peter had no respiration or pulse. What is unique about Peter's story is that he is the one survivor among Thursday's guests that was not defibrillated. Instead, the paramedics were able to restore a heartbeat using advanced life support techniques, including airway management and cardiac drugs. Restoring a heartbeat without an electric shock is rare, but paramedics are trained to do just that.