IN V E S T O R ’ S C O R N E R American Heart Association Expands Training Operations in Middle East Submitted by Stephen Prudhomme, Vice President - Global Strategies, American Heart Association The American Heart Association is expanding its presence in the Middle East, one of its fastest-growing markets, as part of a strategy to spread the message about the importance of heart health and to train more people to save lives during cardiac emergencies. In early 2011, the association will open a new office in Dubai in the U.A.E. It will be the organization's first office in the Middle East and one of only four global branch offices around the world. The new office is the result of years of relationship building in the market, and it signals an important strategic shift in how the association is making its educational and research programs accessible around the world. It's a critical effort. According to the World Heart Federation, 17.1 million lives are lost to cardiovascular disease and stroke each year. And years of research have shown that effective CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, can make the difference between life and death. CPR buys valuable time and increases the likelihood that a victim can successfully be defibrillated by an electric shock. The logic behind the association's global approach is simple: More lives will be saved if more people and bystanders are trained to take action during a cardiac emergency. vivors optimize their rehabilitation and avoid recurrences. The programs have been field-tested and refined over time to streamline operations and maximize effectiveness. The association is exploring ways to adapt these programs internationally. For nearly 40 years, the American Heart Association's guidelines for emergency cardiovascular care, or ECC, have been accepted as the gold standard for treating cardiovascular emergencies. These guidelines include CPR and First Aid treatment, and they serve as the basis for training materials used around the world. Globally, more than 12 million people are trained in the association's First Aid and CPR courses each year. Through agreements with national heart foundations, health ministries and other organizations, the American Heart Association has more than 260 training centers in 140 nations, with science and training materials localized and translated in 17 languages. In addition, the association was one of the founding members and a major supporter of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation, which was formed in 1992 and acts as a forum between resuscitation organizations worldwide to review the world's resuscitation science. In collaboration with the American Heart Association, the international liaison produced the first International CPR Guidelines in 2000 and an International Consensus on CPR and ECC Science with Treatment Recommendations in 2005 and 2010. The 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR and ECC are based on the most current and comprehensive review of resuscitation science and include important changes in emergency care to positively impact outcomes and save more lives. Because of the association's strict attention to quality in its training materials, participants can have the confidence that training anywhere in the world will yield the same crucial knowledge and skills. The association's training materials have been developed to maximize accessibility and information retention. The information is presented in an entertaining but educational way, which helps people better recall what to do in stressful situations with someone's life is on the line. The Gold Standard for Care To prepare communities to save lives, the American Heart Association develops and updates its programs with the best scientific research and training by collaborating with researchers and clinicians from around the world. It's an approach the association has taken since it was founded by a group of cardiologists in 1924. Throughout its history, the not-for-profit organization has taken on an important public health role, acting as a resource for clinical guidelines and cardiovascular healthcare information. The association's scientific publications and conferences have become major conduits for sharing research findings throughout the global professional health community. This unique model has helped drive significant advancements in heart health research and education. It has enabled the association to use the power of worldwide collaboration to accelerate breakthroughs and streamline the path from science to practice. An important part of the organization's work is developing training courses for medical professionals that incorporate the latest science and best practices for resuscitation and cardiac care. The association's programs in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support have become integral training tools for hospitals throughout the world. The American Heart Association also has a wealth of educational resources designed for the workplace. These resources help healthy workers stay healthy, help those with risk factors improve their health, and help heart disease and stroke sur16 U.S.-SAUDI BUSINESS BRIEF G VOLUME XV, NUMBER 6 G 2010 American Heart Association in the Middle East The American Heart Association has been helping to provide research and education around emergency cardiac care in the Middle East for nearly three decades. The association has training centers in Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. The Middle East is such a fast-growing market because of its young population and a growing economy. Until 2010, growth in the region was limited because the association's training materials were only available in English. I N V E S T O R ’ S C O R N E R In May, the Heartsaver First Aid CPR & AED course was released in Arabic, marking the first Arabic language materials available from the association. The effort wasn't just a simple translation. Cultural differences also had to be accounted for while providing the same lifesaving skills taught at American Heart Association-accredited training centers. In one sense, adapting its materials for the Middle Eastern market helped the association think more globally. Written and digital materials have been revised to translate more clearly outside the U.S., eliminating colloquialisms and American analogies that don't resonate with global audiences, as well as making materials more culturally acceptable. Training materials have also been revised to better reflect local issues and resources, such as what medications may be available or how to reach emergency services. First Aid materials have also been revised to better address local emergencies. For example, instructions for treating snake or insect bites in Bahrain may be different from bites in Miami, Mexico City or Beijing. The initial response from the market has been staggering and the demand for training has grown dramatically. The Dubai office will initially include a Middle Eastern territory director to oversee the development of partnerships and programs and a training consultant to work with local partners. The office will give the association a heightened profile in the region, enabling it build relationships in a way that wasn't possible when employees and volunteers had to fly in from U.S. offices for short visits. The association also globalized the printing and warehousing of its training materials to reduce shipping costs and time. For example, materials used throughout the Middle East are warehoused in Istanbul and Mumbai, India. The facility in Istanbul helps speed the time-tomarket, reducing import-export taxes and processing paperwork. Service has also improved, because the facility's Arabic speakers can help quickly resolve issues. Training materials are available locally through Gulf Group in Kuwait City, Kuwait, and WorldPoint in Dubai. Success Stories in Saudi Arabia The American Heart Association worked with National Guard Health Affairs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to introduce the English Heartsaver program in 2009. The hospital, which provides services to National Guard personnel and their families, is one of the leading healthcare facilities in the region with a more than 700-bed capacity. The global accreditation of the association's programs was the driving factor for the partnership. National Guard Health Affairs could have confidence that the materials were scientifically based, presented using evidence-based teaching methods and consistent with training conducted elsewhere in the world. Since introducing the Arabic-language version of the association's training materials, the demand for the Heartsaver Arabic program offered by the National Guard hospital has grown by five times. The lifesaving program is being offered to the hospital's nonmedical staff and has been opened to the public. Additionally, Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the region with more than 50,000 employees, requires its non-medical staff to take the American Heart Association's Heartsaver training. Each year nearly 5,000 employees are trained. In addition, the company's in-house American Heart Associationaccredited training center trains thousands of healthcare providers and employees annually in Basic Life Support and Advanced Life Support Courses. While most companies don't require all employees to undergo such training, many companies see value in having a workforce prepared to help a colleague or customer in an emergency. Having Heartsaver materials available in both English and Arabic offers Saudi Aramco standardized materials and teaching concepts, making it both effective and economical. In the future, Saudi Aramco hopes to access e-learning courses in English and other languages. I This article was composed by the American Heart Association. The report does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council. For more information on the American Heart Association, please visit www.americanheart.org. Future Growth, Finding New Solutions With an increased international presence, the association is looking for ways to become more involved in the communities it serves and to customize training to better meet local needs. The organization is also exploring ways to develop less expensive training products to make programs more accessible so everyone can learn to save lives. As it works to become a local solution in the global effort to save lives through cardiovascular research, care and training, the American Heart Association is looking to collaborate with its partners to develop the products that will provide the most help. In the Middle East, this is only the beginning of building a community of lifesavers. With its Heartsaver program in high demand, the association is working to develop more Arabic-language versions of its programs. In 2011, the organization will launch its Basic Life Support: Healthcare Provider, which is designed for medical professionals, as well as Heartsaver Family and Friends, which teaches lifesaving skills to the public. I U.S.-SAUDI BUSINESS BRIEF G VOLUME XV, NUMBER 6 G 2010 17