Laura Merrick, winner of the American Heart Association's 2025 national Leaders of Impact campaign, has directed over $380,000 in raised funds toward initiatives aimed at reducing deaths from cardiac arrest and hypertension in Chicago. Her motivation stems from her mother's survival of a cardiac arrest due to bystander CPR, highlighting the critical need for widespread emergency preparedness.
Merrick's campaign will establish blood pressure hubs in 18 community-based organizations throughout the Chicago area. These hubs, implemented through the American Heart Association's Embracing Community Care initiative, will provide free blood pressure monitors, educational materials on proper self-measurement, interpretation of results, and referrals to local medical providers. An automated self-measurement blood pressure kiosk will also be installed in the city to promote hypertension awareness and management.
In addition to hypertension screening, the campaign will fund Cardiac Emergency Response Plans for the same 18 organizations. These plans include CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training for staff, volunteers, and community members designated as Cardiac Emergency Response Team members. The American Heart Association, which educates millions in CPR annually, emphasizes these skills as vital given that cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2023 statistics.
Merrick stated her goal is to make "lifesaving preparedness a standard - not an exception" across Chicago, with a focus on communities historically underserved. The Leaders of Impact campaign, which ran from September 18 to November 5, involved over 300 local nominees and 1,200 team members across 72 communities nationwide, all working to raise awareness and funds for heart health. Lee A. Shapiro, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association, praised Merrick and fellow nominees for their significant community impact.
The initiatives address a pressing public health issue: more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the U.S., with a 90% fatality rate. By expanding access to blood pressure monitoring and CPR training through the American Heart Association, Merrick's campaign aims to equip more Chicago residents with the tools to prevent and respond to cardiovascular emergencies before they become fatal. This approach is particularly important for addressing health disparities in underserved communities where access to preventive care may be limited.
