Since 1984, Margaret Hallden Has Given More Than $3 Million to Keep Heart & Cancer Care Moving Forward in the Region
In 2009, the Foundation commemorated 25 years of Margaret Hallden’s support of the local chapters of the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association
Gift to Heart Association Helps Launch State’s First Regional System of Care for Heart Attack Patients
Twenty-five years after her death, Margaret Hallden continues to make an impact on heart care for patients in our region.
Her gift to the American Heart Association (AHA) this year allowed the organization to launch a Mission:Lifeline Project with New Milford Hospital and The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury, jointly operated by Waterbury Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital.
Mission:Lifeline aims to improve the region’s response and treatment of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) — the most serious and deadly type of heart attack.
Margaret Hallden’s gift lays the critical groundwork for the regionalization of emergency cardiac care including a pre-hospital protocol where patients are assessed in the field and transported to the closest hospital able to meet their needs.
The project includes paramedic training and emergency medical technician instruction on chest pain and STEMI patient assessment, and for public education on the early signs and symptoms of STEMI and the importance of calling 9-1-1.
Funding also provides the opportunity for Waterbury Hospital, Saint Mary’s Hospital, and paramedics to access enhanced technology to communicate critical pre-hospital ECG information to the emergency department enabling them to be fully prepared when the patient arrives.
