A Game That Means More Than the Final Score: Shocks and Saves Hockey Game Raises Money for CPR Training, AED Placements in Saginaw Area
Jake Newby
| 4 min read
Key Takeaways
- The Shocks and Saves annual charity hockey game raises funds for defibrillator placement and CPR training in schools and communities in Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region.
- Fundraising from the game has allowed the Pulse3 Endowment for Cardiovascular Health to train thousands of people to learn CPR while purchasing nearly 500 defibrillators.
- These breakthroughs have directly saved more than 20 lives in the Saginaw area, according to Dr. Steve Vance.
- The save rate for witnessed cardiac arrests in Saginaw and Tuscola County is over 20%, which almost doubles the national average.
In 2005, one of the scarier moments in National Hockey League (NHL) history took place when former Detroit Red Wings player Jiri Fischer suffered sudden cardiac arrest and collapsed on the bench. Fischer was resuscitated through prompt CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Though he was never medically cleared to play in the NHL again, Fischer’s story wasn’t a sad one. He turned a dark moment in his own life into a bright one for countless others when he decided to partner with Central Michigan University’s Pulse3 Endowment for Cardiovascular Health – formerly the Pulse3 Foundation – to launch the Shocks and Saves hockey game. This annual charity event was created to raise funds for AED placement and CPR training throughout schools and communities in Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region.
“Many of the players on the ice are local area lifesavers; paramedics, firefighters, physicians, nurses,” said Dr. Steve Vance, Associate Dean of Clinical Education at the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at Central Michigan University and a longtime partner of the Shocks and Saves game. “They’re all involved in lifesaving efforts in the community.”
The Pulse3 Endowment hosts educational and preventive events and activities designed to promote heart health, particularly in schools across mid-Michigan. Held annually since 2008, the Shocks and Saves game is Pulse3’s signature event.
Fundraising efforts in the form of tickets sold for Shocks and Saves, raffles held during the game and help from sponsors like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Cross Complete of Michigan have made an indelible impact in the last 18 years. Dollars raised by the game have allowed Pulse3 to train thousands of people in the Great Lakes Bay Region to learn CPR while purchasing nearly 500 AEDs that have saved more than 20 lives in the area.
“If you look at Saginaw County and Tuscola County, our save rate for witnessed cardiac arrests is over 20%, which is almost double the national average,” said Vance, during an interview with Blue Cross. “Rates of bystander CPR are over 50%. That’s a credit to a lot of folks’ efforts, but certainly (this game) is part of that, and we’re very proud of that data.”
The importance of cardiac arrest education and AED use
Survival in sudden cardiac arrest decreases by 10% for every minute that immediate CPR and use of an AED is delayed, according to the American Red Cross.
“We can’t have medical providers in every place at every time,” Vance explained. “This is an area where the public can make a huge difference in the survival for a person that suffers from cardiac arrest.”
CPR acts as a bridge by maintaining circulation of oxygenated blood to the heart and brain until definitive treatment is available. While restoring an effective cardiac rhythm is essential for survival, this may involve defibrillation with an AED in shockable rhythms, along with continued CPR and advanced medical care.
“Being aware of where (AEDs) are in your community – understanding how to turn them on and place the pads – is crucial,” Vance said. “You can imagine if it takes 10 to 15 minutes for EMS to arrive, survival rates drop severely if we don’t have bystander CPR. And our best chance is if we can have that bystander CPR and somebody deploys an AED. With early defibrillation, we can triple the odds of survival.”
Vance is deeply invested in the Shocks and Saves game and the lifesaving cause it supports, but he’s more than just a partner – Vance actually laces up the skates and participates in the lighthearted game himself. He wouldn’t compare himself to Fischer in the early 2000s, when he was viewed as one of the most intriguing up-and-coming defensemen in the NHL, but does look forward to mixing it up with fellow heart health supporters this year.
“My goal is to go out there, not make myself look too bad, and avoid breaking something” he joked. “For our players, it’s a great opportunity for them to get out there, have some fun, skate with the pros, and support an amazing cause.”
More from MI Blue Daily:
Photo credit: BCBSM
