Our mission

Imagine a world where EVERY heart defect is discovered before birth…

We are the ONLY charity in Canada working to help more babies get their Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) diagnosis as early as possible through educational outreach initiatives.

An early diagnosis can make all the difference in reducing longterm complications and/or death.

Education

One of the main areas where we can influence the early detection of CHD is in rural settings. Our experts will create and deliver conferences and hands-on training sessions for sonographers in these settings. These sessions will be focused on fetal cardiac screening techniques and anomaly pattern recognition to detect CHD as early as possible.

Raising Public Awareness

We can’t fix a problem without talking about it. Media campaigns, podcast interviews, and public speaking engagements will help to educate parents, general medical professionals, and others about the prevalence of heart defects and what they can do to help.

Influencing Standards

From advocating to include mandatory Pulse Oximetry screening after birth, to ensuring all sonographers receive regular CME credits in cardiac screening, our team of passionate individuals will work to give families with CHD the best start possible.

Supporting Research

Our experts are spearheading CHD research in Alberta through their clinical and research efforts. Understanding how areas such as education and tele-health communications in rural areas influence detection is vital to ensuring positive outcomes for CHD families. Early detection plays an essential role in saving money and resources for both local hospitals and governments alike.

Supporting Families

We want families to know that they are not alone. Receiving news that your baby will be born with a serious heart condition is incredibly difficult and we want to be there to provide support. Together, we can support families impacted by CHD by creating online communities of heart warriors, directing those affected to local resources and organizations, and providing a soft place for families to land in a time of great upheaval.

FAQs

What do you do?

1 in 100 infants are born with CHD, but only half of those will receive a diagnosis prior to birth. We want to increase the prenatal detection rate of CHD, potentially saving 150-200 infants across Western Canada, annually.

How can I help?

The first step is awareness. Start a conversation with your friends and family about CHD. You may be surprised at how many people you know who have been affected!

We will be accepting donations in the near future, but until then you can subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media (@tinyheartscan) for updates.

My child has CHD. Now what?

You are not alone, and we are here to help. You can find information for families affected by CHD here. If you still have questions about your local area, or concerns that have not been answered, please feel free to reach out via our contact form.

Where are you located?

We are based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada however, our goal is to educate professionals and support families across Canada and North America.

When are training sessions?

We are in the stages of planning hands-on training for sonographers for the 2024/2025 season. Our planned outreach locations are;

  • Grande Prairie

  • Fort McMurray

  • High Level

  • Edmonton

  • Red Deer

  • Calgary

  • Medicine Hat

  • Lethbridge

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media (@tinyheartscan) for updates on our training schedule.

Meet the Team