Press Release

• Tweet

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

County health officials on Wednesday will honor a local casino whose safety programs are helping patrons survive fatal heart emergencies at a rate five times the county average.

Employees at San Pablo Lytton Casino successfully resuscitated five of six people who have suffered sudden cardiac arrest there over the past four years. Countywide, the overall survival rate of cardiac arrest is almost the opposite at 16 percent—or roughly one out of six.

Officials from the Emergency Medical Services Division of Contra Costa Health Services will recognize the casino and its staff at 2 p.m. during the company's holiday luncheon Dec. 19. Casino employees who helped resuscitation efforts will be in attendance and will be available for media interviews.

"San Pablo Lytton Casino is committed to the health of our customers and we're encouraged that the time and training is making a difference," said San Pablo Lytton Casino Human Resources Managers Christopher Mavroudis, who oversees the program.

At the heart of San Pablo Lytton Casino's success is a strong chain of survival that includes staff trained to recognize the symptoms of cardiac arrest, call 911, perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator, said EMS Prehospital Care Coordinator Pam Dodson.

"We know that once you have all of these things lined up, cardiac arrest survival rates can and will go up," Dodson said. "San Pablo Lytton Casino is doing what every business should be doing: It is equipped with AEDs and regularly trains its employees to know the symptoms of heart emergencies and to act in time."

Sudden cardiac arrest is a condition when the heart stops functioning as normal causing a person to stop breathing and lose consciousness. Dodson said the condition is more common in people who smoke or drink, have high blood pressure or have a family history of heart disease.

Dodson said the casino's success demonstrates that people have a greater chance to survive a cardiac emergency if community members initiate the rescue effort for first responders. "Learn the signs of a heart emergency. If you witness one, call 911, act in time," she said.

To find out more about heart disease, visit www.cchealth.org/ems/heartsafe.php

# # #