Appendix 1: Description of Heart Steps

Heart Steps is a community-based education program of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. The goal of Heart Steps is to eliminate or minimize delays in accessing proven therapies of early advanced care in order to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The Heart Steps' three key communications messages are:

• Act immediately: Learn the symptoms of a heart attack and the
• appropriate actions to be taken.
• Join the rescuers: Heart-attack victims tend to deny symptoms, so take charge!
• Tell someone: If you are experiencing chest discomfort, tell someone or call for help!

In communities of all sizes and locations across Canada.

It is up to each community to decide. Some have promoted Heart Steps in November, January and February, tying it into CPR and Heart month. Each community must decide what will work for them and what resources are available. The Heart Steps program lasts about 8 weeks and can be modified to fit a community's needs.

Being a community based program, Heart Steps requires collaboration between existing organizations and people in the community who have a common interest in emergency cardiac care. These include emergency medical services, CPR training organizations, medical and paramedical professions, allied health professionals (i.e., pharmacists, dentists) and heart-attack survivors.