HOPKINS HEART HYPE PROGRAM

Date:  January 16th, 2010

Background:

Over 3000 young adults die suddenly each, most from undetected heart ailments. Almost all are preventable if detected in time. These deaths often occur during intense physical activity such as during sports. Reggie Lewis, Hank Gathers, Jason Collier and Tom Herrion are well-known athletes who lost their lives to undiagnosed heart ailments.

Program Mission:

Hopkins Heart Hype is a pioneering program that seeks to reduce deaths in young adults, especially athletes, through early detection and treatment of potentially life threatening heart ailments.

Program Goals:

1.    Raise community awareness through education in schools and colleges.
2.    Find athletes at risk through state of the art screening programs.
3.    Improve detection techniques through research.

Heart Hype Screening

The Hopkins Heart Hype Program in partnership with the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), Morgan State University and community partners such as the National Football Foundation, Friends in Red, HCM Association and Chad Foundation holds yearly heart screening programs.

Over 250 athletes were screened on May 24th 2008 at Morgan State University during the Maryland State Track and Field Championship. This was the largest such program in Maryland and is poised to become the largest comprehensive screening program in the country.
The 2009 Heart Hype screening is scheduled for Saturday May 23rd at Morgan State University. We plan to screen hundreds of high school athletes for potentially life-threatening heart ailments. Questionnaires and waiver forms will be available on the Heart Hype Website (www.hopkinsHCM.org) and at the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association website (www.mpssaa.org/).  

Efficacy:

We can screen for over 90% of the causes of sudden death in athletes using modern, sophisticated technology. Screening programs are mandatory and have saved several lives of competitive athletes in countries like Italy.