Chicago Health Leader Wins National Award for Expanding CPR Training and Blood Pressure Monitoring
TL;DR
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.
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Laura Merrick, a Chicago health information leader, has been named the national winner of the American Heart Association's 2025 Leaders of Impact campaign after raising more than $380,000 to expand CPR readiness and blood pressure awareness in her community. Her motivation stemmed from her mother's survival of a cardiac arrest, which was attributed to a bystander performing CPR. "My mother survived cardiac arrest because a bystander knew CPR," Merrick said. "I kept asking myself: What can we do to make sure more families get that same chance to keep someone they love?"
Merrick's campaign focuses on combating high blood pressure, a silent killer, and improving cardiac emergency response. Through her efforts, 18 community-based organizations throughout Chicagoland will receive blood pressure hubs. These hubs provide free blood pressure monitors, American Heart Association materials on proper self-measurement, explanations of blood pressure readings, and local medical provider contact lists. The hubs are implemented through Embracing Community Care, a local American Heart Association initiative designed to fund equipment and resources for community health improvement. More information on cardiovascular statistics can be found at https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001123.
In addition, a self-measurement blood pressure kiosk will be placed in Chicago to educate community members about checking blood pressure, changing habits, and controlling hypertension. Merrick's campaign also enables 18 Chicago organizations to implement Cardiac Emergency Response Plans, which include CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training for staff, volunteers, and community members on response teams. The American Heart Association educates millions in CPR to equip people with lifesaving skills, addressing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. Further details on heart disease statistics are available at https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/heart-and-stroke-association-statistics.
The Leaders of Impact competition, which ran from September 18 to November 5, involved over 300 local nominees and 1,200 Impact Team members in 72 communities nationwide. These volunteers educated communities, advocated for heart health, and raised funds for the Heart Association's scientific research, CPR education, and equitable healthcare access. Lee A. Shapiro, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association, praised the nominees: "Laura and her fellow nominees have made a significant impact in their communities, spearheading the efforts that will result in better heart and brain health."
Merrick emphasized her goal of strengthening readiness in underserved communities. "I want to continue strengthening readiness, especially in communities historically left behind," she said. "That means advancing CPR and AED access, improving hypertension awareness, expanding blood-pressure monitoring, and helping schools and organizations build Cardiac Emergency Response Plans. My goal is to make lifesaving preparedness a standard - not an exception - across Chicago." This initiative is critical as over 350,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals annually in the U.S., with a 90% fatality rate, highlighting the urgent need for widespread CPR knowledge and preventive health measures.
Curated from NewMediaWire
