BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University announces the start of the Healthy Heart Collaborative sponsored by its Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS) along with Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and the Omar Carter Foundation, which was founded by a former Mountaineer basketball player and 2014 graduate.
The Healthy Heart Collaborative will promote cardiovascular health in the High Country community and advance knowledge about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and response. A series of community awareness events will be held Feb. 16-17.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death among adults over the age of 40 and the most common nontraumatic cause of death among college athletes. SCA is a condition that occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating effectively. As a result, blood is no longer pumped throughout the body.
Without immediate CPR and AED administration, nine out of 10 victims die. SCA is a life-threatening condition — but it can be treated successfully through early intervention by giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Omar Carter was Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year in men’s basketball in 2011-12. Photo courtesy of Appalachian Athletics
Carter, who enjoyed a professional basketball career after Appalachian, is a SCA survivor. He suffered sudden cardiac arrest while playing in a 2013 game at the Grady Cole Center in his hometown of Charlotte. According to his organization’s website, Carter lay on the floor unconscious and received CPR for 13 minutes until emergency transport arrived. He was hospitalized on life support and in a medically induced coma, yet he survived.
Carter later founded the Omar Carter Foundation to advocate, empower and serve communities through CPR and AED education and cardiovascular screenings.
According to the foundation’s website, more than 2,300 people have been taught CPR and AED education by the organization since its founding.
This month, the Healthy Heart Collaborative will sponsor presentations to Appalachian’s student-athletes and the following community awareness events, which are open to the public:
Healthy Heart Collaborative
Healthy Heart Collaborative
Healthy Heart Collaborative
About the Beaver College of Health Sciences
Appalachian State University’s Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS), opened in 2010, is transforming the health and quality of life for the communities it serves through interprofessional collaboration and innovation in teaching, scholarship, service and clinical outreach. The college enrolls more than 3,600 students and offers 10 undergraduate degree programs, nine graduate degree programs and four certificates across six departments: Nursing, Nutrition and Health Care Management, Public Health and Exercise Science, Recreation Management and Physical Education, Rehabilitation Sciences, and Social Work. The college’s academic programs are located in the Holmes Convocation Center on App State’s main campus and the Levine Hall of Health Sciences, a state-of-the-art, 203,000-square-foot facility that is the cornerstone of Boone’s Wellness District. In addition, the college supports the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness and has collaborative partnerships with the Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Program, UNC Health Appalachian and numerous other health agencies. Learn more at https://healthsciences.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian Regional Healthcare System
Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS), the healthcare leader in the High Country, is comprised of two hospitals — Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital in Linville and Watauga Medical Center in Boone, as well as a physician practice management group, Appalachian Regional Medical Associates (ARMA), The Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge and Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation. Appalachian Regional Healthcare System stays committed to promoting health in the High Country, enhancing quality of life and simply “making life better.”
About the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary membership association that serves as the unified voice of the business community. As a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization, it unites hundreds of companies, professionals, organizations, groups and educational institutions who are committed to build a better community.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
![‘Dragon prince’ dinosaur may be missing link in T. rex evolution [alumni featured]](/_images/_posts/2025/06/dragon-prince-600x400.jpg)
![Is Carb Cycling the Key to Increasing Your Endurance? [faculty featured]](/_images/_posts/2025/06/carb-cycling-600x400.jpg)
