In this episode of "Hub City Now with Tyrone Tony Reed Jr.", the host interviewed Caitlin Roach Clark, executive director of Friends of Heart.

Friends of Heart was born in 2017 at Flatiron Grille in Jackson, Tennessee. There are many who served as creators of this much-needed LOCAL heart and vascular care initiative. Several of those present that evening had been involved with a national non-profit and although that organization does great things the funds being raised were not coming back to our community for this reason Friends of Heart exists today! The organization has 21 board members with co-chairs Bob Arrington and Janet Silver and one executive director: Caitlin Roach Clark.

Roach Clark spoke about 4-Minute City:

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death in the U.S. and we are doing something to change that in our community! Friends of Heart is partnering with Avive Solutions, alongside The City of Jackson, the Jackson Fire Department, and West TN Healthcare to significantly increase survival rates of SCA in Jackson through a program called 4-Minute City.

Together, we plan to bring cutting-edge technology and forward-thinking ideas to Jackson by placing Avive's intelligent AEDs across the city and deploying their first-of-its-kind cardiac arrest response technology. Most importantly, we plan to work with the citizens of Jackson to create a culture of saving lives from cardiac arrest through free training and educational resources so that all of you are prepared to save a life. Learn more at avive.life/jackson

This project addresses the public health issue of Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurrences. This is a program that focuses on increasing survival rates of people in sudden cardiac arrest through free public training for hands-only CPR/AED and placement of connected AED’s in our community.

Three ways to get involved:

1. Learn Hands-only CPR/AED Training either by scheduling an in-person class or going to our virtual training site where you can learn what to do if you witness an SCA incident. Chances are you will save the life of a loved one. 70% of out-of-hospital SCA occur in the home.
2. Become a member of the Cardiac Arrest Rapid Engagement Team (CARE) led by the Jackson Fire Department.
3. Give a donation of $1,500.00 to sponsor an AED in our community. This donation will supply a person on the CARE Team with a life-saving device and connectivity for five years.

Roach Clark also spoke about a free EKG screening program for the Jackson-Madison County School System from Friends of Heart which is partnering with a nonprofit out of Florida called Who We Play For. The program will begin with North Side students, whose parents or guardians have given consent to participate in the program, at the end of this month.

For more information about Who We Play For, visit www.whoweplayfor.org.

For more information about 4-Minute City and/or Friends of Heart: visit www.friendsofheart.org.

In this episode of "Hub City Now" host Tyrone Tony Reed Jr. interviewed Sabrina Blue, CEO and Executive Director of Helping Hands of Tennessee.