IN THE NEWS

(April 2009) –National Heimlich Maneuver Week will be held the week of April 12-18. During this week, the Heimlich Institute encourages the public to celebrate the lives that were saved because of this technique.

Before the Heimlich Maneuver was introduced in 1974, choking was the sixth most common cause of accidental death in the United States. Since its introduction, this simple procedure has saved the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United States and thousands more worldwide. Recently, Tom Colicchio, a successful restaurateur and judge on the hit-show Top Chief on Bravo TV, made the news when he used the Heimlich Maneuver and saved the life of cookbook author Joan Nathan. In January of this year the two were both in attendance at an Art.Food.Hope dinner in Washington, D.C. When Nathan began choking on a piece of chicken, Tom Colicchio preformed the Heimlich Maneuver and was able to dislodge the food.

Complete instructions on posters outlining the proper way to do the Heimlich Maneuver for infants, children and adults can be found at www.heimlichinstitute.org. This material is essential for schools, institutions, public and private clubs, and any business that serves food. In 2002, the state of Ohio made it mandatory for each school cafeteria to have a staff member familiar with the Heimlich Maneuver. Schools, groups, and organizations interested in having Dr. Heimlich as a guest for educational presentations should contact The Heimlich Institute by calling (513) 559-2391.