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Free Back-to-School Heart Screenings for Austin-Area Student-Athletes Make Sure Their Hearts Are Okay to Play
Free Back-to-School Heart Screenings for Austin-Area Student-Athletes Make Sure Their Hearts Are Okay to Play
Published 08-05-03
Submitted by Schlotzsky's Inc.
The 2003 Championship Hearts(tm) screening program hosts its next Healthy Heart Fest 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Heart Hospital of Austin at 38th Street and Lamar Boulevard. Free HCM screenings are provided for student-athletes on mobile echocardiogram machines, along with complimentary food, fun games and prize giveaways.
Well-known sports figures such as University of Texas coaches Mack Brown, Rick Barnes, Beverley Kearney, as well as NFL star Herschel Walker, and Program Spokesperson Major Applewhite will remind student-athletes, and their parents, to "make sure their hearts are okay to play" through the Championship Hearts program and its free HCM screenings.
Schlotzsky's and Coca-Cola(R) are underwriting the program through which boy and girl student-athletes in high-activity sports such as football, basketball and soccer can get free screenings for HCM. The genetic heart condition affects about 1 in 500 people and is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people.
"Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a silent killer," says Dr. George Rodgers, an Austin cardiologist and president of Austin Heart. "It does not impair physical ability and is hard to diagnose with a routine physical exam. However, it's easy to diagnose with a screening cardiac ultrasound. This is why the Championship Hearts screening program was developed."
Individual HCM screenings can cost as much as $1,000 per student, and testing of student-athletes across Austin might cost as much as $1.5 million.
Three mobile echocardiogram machines, purchased by Schlotzsky's(R) Deli in 2001 (one of its 30th-anniversary gifts to the community), can be taken to sites across the state. Cardiologists from Austin Heart and Children's Cardiology Associates are volunteering their time to conduct the screenings. Each free screening takes about five minutes and is a non-invasive procedure.
Dr. Rodgers continues, "We plan to take this program from regional to statewide this year with sponsorship from Schlotzsky's and the use of the mobile echocardiogram machines." For more information about free student-athlete heart screenings in Central Texas, call the Championship Hearts(tm) Hotline, 512-206-3669, or visit www.austinheartfoundation.com.
Schlotzsky's Inc., founded in Austin, Texas, in 1971, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a franchisor and operator of restaurants in the fast casual sector. Our current menu features upscale made-to-order hot sandwiches and pizzas served on our proprietary buns and crusts, wraps, chips, salads, soups, fresh baked cookies and other desserts and beverages.
As of March 31, 2003, there were 619 Schlotzsky's(R) Deli restaurants open and operating in 37 states, the District of Columbia and six foreign countries. Visit www.schlotzskys.com or www.cooldeli.com for more information and e-coupons.
