Are you interested in joining the Michigan State Advocacy Committee?
My name is Mark Altomare, and I’m one of the “ones.”
You see, nine out of ten people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital do not survive. I suffered SCA on a Sunday night while playing tennis in a racket club. It’s a miracle that I survived. The miracle was that two people near me were trained in CPR, one of them knew to ask for an AED, and someone knew where it was and how to use it.
As a Survivor I decided to become a volunteer for the American Heart Association (AHA). I’ve helped raise money as captain of a Heart Walk Team and as a participant in Heart Balls. Now I’m the Chairperson of the Michigan State Advocacy Committee (SAC).
The SAC is a group of volunteers supported by AHA under the purview of the AHA State Government Relations Director. The SAC assists in moving state and local policy forward through grassroots and legislative advocacy.
Members of the SAC bring their personal experience and passion to bear in helping shape policy priorities. We connect with lawmakers at “Lobby Days,” and by direct outreach via email and social media. We respond to special alerts provided by AHA. We have a SAC virtual meeting once per quarter to review results and discuss future efforts. The total time commitment is about 5 – 10 hours per quarter.
The Michigan SAC needs additional volunteers to join the team. We need a broader geographic representation across our state. And we need added voices as we take on issues like healthy meals and CPR training in schools and Medicaid protections.