Our History
More than twenty-five years ago Federico Alfaro, MD, a Guatemalan physician, was treating a seventeen-year-old patient. The boy had a heart condition cardiologists refer to as “heart block”, an affliction in which the heartbeat continually slows until one day the heart just stops pumping. The boy’s condition was curable. The problem was he was poor. Dr. Alfaro tried desperately to find financial assistance to provide the boy with the pacemaker he needed. But in the end he had to watch the boy die. He swore another countryman would not die because they could not afford a pacemaker.
Our Mission
To save lives globally by providing cardiovascular implantable devices and treatment to the needy people of the world.
Our Values
To create a world class charitable foundation with successful global strategic partners.
Our Board’s vision is to expand Heartbeat International Foundation’s mission to include robust programs in Education, Prevention and Treatment, as we strive to combat cardiovascular disease worldwide. We will accomplish this with the support of individuals, corporations, NGOs, civic organizations, institutions, industry, and healthcare professionals, through global strategic alliances to form a Global Cardiovascular Alliance. Our global movement to save lives has the momentum required to take our message around the world, to expand the reach of What We Do, and be recognized as one of the leading authorities for the principles, practices, and policies of cardiology.
This is our promise. This is why Heartbeat International exists.
Heartbeat International Foundation - What We Do
Save lives by providing pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization devices and other cardiovascular therapeutic solutions.
Provide all professional and medical services by doctors and hospitals at NO CHARGE to the patient.
Provide continuing education programs to all healthcare professionals.
Develop and provide education and prevention programs through strategic alliances to the general population.
Provide services regardless of age, gender, religion, culture, or political persuasion.
Utilize a time tested and trusted method to fulfill our mission.