ANNOUNCING THE NEXT YOUTH HEART SCREENING EVENT

On March 25, 2000, Louis J. Acompora died from a condition known as commotio cordis, which resulted from a blow to his chest while playing lacrosse during his first high school game. He was only 14 years old. This fatal condition quickly leads to sudden cardiac arrest. It is a poorly recognized and underreported event that affects healthy young athletes. Following Louis’ tragic death, the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation has dedicated its mission to raising awareness among schools and other public institutions about the importance of owning automated external defibrillators (AED), a simple device that would have saved Louis' life.

ANNOUNCING THE NEXT YOUTH HEART SCREENING EVENT
Heart Screen New York is a FREE program provided by the Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation and the Dominic A. Murray Memorial 21 Foundation. The next heart screening will be held at West Islip High School, One Lion Path, West Islip, NY on Saturday, March 15, 2014 from 9 AM to 3 PM. The goal of this collaborative effort is to increase awareness about sudden cardiac arrest in youth and the importance of cardiac screenings and early detection in youths.

ABOUT THE SCREENING
The screening is open to all students ages 12 to 24, regardless of the school they attend. Several leading cardiologists from area hospitals will be offering their services to the screening including Heart Screen New York’s Medical Director, Dr. Nicholas (Niko) Skipitaris of Mount Sinai Medical Center; Pediatric Cardiologist Russell Schiff, affiliated with North Shore/LIJ Medical Group; and Daniel Montellese, an Interventional Cardiologist with Stony Brook Heart Associates of Long Island. Additional medical professionals and CPR instructions also volunteer their time and expertise at Heart Screen events.

The screening will consist of a heart health survey, heart sounds physical, ECG and Echocardiogram. To register for the free youth heart screening, visit www.stayclassy.org/heartscreennewyork.

ABOUT THE LOUIS J. ACOMPORA MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
Louis’ parents, John and Karen Acompora, came to realize his death could have been prevented if the school had owned a portable defibrillator. A defibrillator revives cardiac arrest victims with an electric shock to the chest. After Louis died, the Acomporas started a grassroots campaign to raise awareness among schools and other public institutions about the importance of owning AEDs. The Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation was founded to ensure that similar tragedies are prevented. The Foundation is committed to improving sports safety, with a special focus on placing AEDs in all schools and youth athletic organizations.

The Foundation worked closely with New York State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, who introduced legislation in May 2001 mandating that all public schools in the state be equipped with AEDs in their buildings and at all sporting events. A year later, after having unanimously passed in the State Assembly and Senate, Bill #A8779 was signed into law by Governor George Pataki on May 7, 2002. The next month, on June 24, Governor Pataki attended the Northport High School graduation ceremony to present Bill #A8779 which he proclaimed, "Louis’ Law." For a wealth of information on the activities of the foundation, visit http://www.la12.org/.