Travis County Commissioners Court
February 14, 2006
Item 1
1. Approve proclamation recognizing February 14, 2006 as "survivor Austin day" in the Austin-Travis County community.
>> judge, we have a lot of folk that we would like to invite up to the front at this point as I read the proclamation. My e.m.s. System folk, that would include star flight, casey and willie, thank you. The proclamation reads as follows: whereas survivor Austin four is the fourth annual celebration for cardiac arrest survivors, their families and rescuers and whereas victims of cardiac arrest in our family are blessed to have access to life saving care, 24/7, thanks to the dedicated members of the Austin Travis County emergency medical services system, and whereas we are pleased to recognize the Austin Travis County e.m.s. System, including the 13 Travis County emergency services districts and the american heart association for their efforts to improve survival and recovery, from sudden cardiac arrest, and to reduce the incidence of heart disease and stroke through professional and public education, now therefore be it resolved that the Travis County Commissioners court hereby recognizes February 14th, 2006, as survivor Austin day in the Austin Travis County community. And I would move approval.
>> second.
>> good morning.
>> good morning. Happy valentine's day, judge. Commissioners, Commissioner Sonleitner thank you very much. This is a -- this is a really neat day for us. For several reasons, this is -- this is a way for us to celebrate our toughest patient population, this is a patient population that's clinically dead when we arrive on that scene. These are patients that don't have pulses, that are not breathing. Without the appropriate intervention would not survive the event. Four years ago, we began identifying those patients and identifying their rescuers to bring the two together to literally celebrate saving someone's life. Four years ago we had 41 of those patients that survived in this community. We collectively are extraordinarily proud that this year we have 53 of those patients that -- that would have otherwise not survived their event. Which -- which literally is one patient per week that this community saves from sudden cardiac arrest. We have an overall survival rate of almost 11%, the national average is 3 to 4%. It through the tremendous efforts of everyone in the system, the emergency services districts, the lay community, law enforcement defibrillation, this court has approved automated external defibrillators in buildings throughout the county, in the municipal and private side of the house, the corporate environment as well as the e.m.s. System. It obviously takes a whole team to make -- to make these patients survive their events. So today is a day of celebration, a day of thanks. You have on your -- on the dais there a pin. This is the first year that we have identified it's a -- it's a heart, the state capitol behind that and the first part of that rhythm is a rhythm that doesn't send blood forward and the second part of that rhythm is the heart restarting. We appreciate what you do in your investment in the e.m.s. System, across the board, and advocating for defibrillation and we appreciate you allowing us to celebrate these folks whose lives have been saved, certainly we are going to keep hammering at it. We would love for it to be 100%, as a community we are going to keep moving forward. So thank you for what you do. It will be -- we also decided it will be on valentine's day every year. We apologize for having it on a Tuesday, but we felt it was important to let the community know every valentine's day this community would celebrate rescuers and survivors. Thank you very, very much.
>> thank you all. You are doing a great job. [ applause ]
>> this is dr. Ed roch who is our e.m.s. Medical director. Doc, is there an event later today.
>> thank you, Karen. There is an event 1:30 to 4:00 today at Austin city hall will be the survivor Austin for -- for last year's survivors. We will have -- the rescuesers, as many as we can get there, unfortunately some rescuers obviously will be working, not able to attend the event, that would be from 1:30 to 4:00 today.
>> it's a pretty emotional kind of thing. Like in we get the star flight celebration of hearing people, get to meet the folks that saved their lives. I want to put in a personal plug in terms of the proactive stuff so it never gets to the point of being cardiac arrest. My dad back in 2000 was feeling a little run down and was not wanting to -- to write it off as -- because he was 70. It turns out that he had a leaky heart valve and got in before it did turn into something much more serious and he wound up finding out while they were in there that he had a hole in his heart, congenital hole in his heart they wound up doing a little whip stitch and took care of that at the same time. Here we are six years later I still have my dad. I’m grateful for the doctors out there that figured out what was going on. So pay attention to the symptoms.
>> any other comments from any of the -- of those rescuers behind you? [laughter]
>> I used to call them public servants, but they are rescuers today, right.
>> today, right.
>> we appreciate all that you do. All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. [ applause ]
>> thank you very much.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 11:17 AM