Early Heart Attack Care

Recognizing a heart attack as soon as possible is key to saving lives and saving heart muscle.

St. Francis is pleased to offer a free online educational course on Early Heart Attack Care (EHAC) through our partnership with Apex Innovations. It's part of a public awareness campaign designed to educate the public about the early warning signs of an impending heart attack as well as to make sure people understand that early treatment can prevent a death or permanent damage to the heart muscle.

What is EHAC?

Early Heart Attack Care (or EHAC) education asks you to learn the signs and symptoms of a heart attack so you can become an active bystander to save a life - even if it’s yours. Here is the EHAC Brochure. 

If we can intervene in the approximately 50% of heart attacks that have early symptoms, together we could save as many as 58,000 lives every year! 

To take the free course, just click on the link below. You'll be taken to the EHAC Online website where you'll be asked to set up an account (only your name and email are needed). The EHAC course provides an overview of the signs, symptoms and symbols of early heart attack care in order to help you save a life. Like many other diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, a heart attack also presents with early symptoms. We encourage you to be aware of the early signs so that you can receive early care in order to prevent a major heart attack. To earn your certification in Early Heart Attack Care, you will need to score 70% or above on the quiz that follows the short course. You'll be able to print your certificate when you complete the course!

St. Francis offers this course - first and foremost - to teach people that heart attacks have beginnings and to help them know how to focus on interventions during the beginning of a heart attack. Additionally, we want to make sure the public knows that early intervention is required to save lives of patients having a heart attack. The below chart shows what you'll learn.