Erie County sets goal to be a HEARTSafe community by 2025

Friday, September 6, 2024

American Heart Association, Buffalo Bills, University at Buffalo and UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine join as key partners in training 145,000 residents in hands-only CPR

You are the help until help arrives; every heartbeat matters

Community partners invested in building a HEARTSafe community joined Erie County officials on September 6, 2024 for a kickoff presentation outlining goals for improving the community's ability to respond to sudden cardiac emergencies.

"The Citizen CPR organization sets the standards for how communities like ours can build a framework for having an infrastructure and safety net of ordinary people, ready to respond when they see anyone whose heart has stopped," said County Executive Mark Poloncarz. "As a County and with commitments from our partners, we are dedicated to achieving this designation and goal of a safer community."

The HEARTsafe Community program establishes guidelines to enhance the response to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) emergencies by targeting training, preparation, and response protocols. Key partners in this initiative include the American Heart Association (AHA), the Buffalo Bills, and UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine (UBMD) and the athletic training program in the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions.

"In a HEARTSafe community, every heartbeat matters," said Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera. "Through Live Well Erie and the power of our community partners, we unite in health, safety, and care, building a brighter, stronger future for all."

Currently, Erie County is gathering data and working towards training 15% of county residents in hands-only CPR - or about 145,000 people. "Our department's Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness has stayed active in training businesses, schools, community organizations and individuals in hands only CPR, first aid and stop the bleed," said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. "Sudden cardiac arrest can happen without warning; reaching that 15% goal means that in most public and many private spaces, someone will know the basics of hands only CPR - a skill that can keep a person alive until EMTs, paramedics and other medical professionals arrive."

At the Buffalo Bills Home Opener on Sunday, September 8, the Buffalo Bills and American Heart Association, along with Highmark BlueCross BlueShield, will honor local heroes with the Heartsaver Hero Award and designate the game as the HeartBEAT Game. CPR trainers will be recognized pregame and from the morning until game time, the American Heart Association and UB trainers will offer hands-only CPR training on the Billevard at Highmark Stadium. Fans, vendors and visitors - stop by this station to get trained and help reach the community goal. Throughout the season, home football games will feature more opportunities to get trained by AHA, UB, UBMD and the County.

"Knowing how to respond in a cardiac emergency when seconds matter is literally the difference between life and death," said Tom Lowe, community impact director with the American Heart Association. "By combining our resources, reach and passion to create a HEARTSafe community, we are helping turn bystanders into lifesavers. Thank you, Erie County, for helping save lives in our community!"

"There are nearly 1000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the US every day, and there is a racial and community disparity in how often people get bystander CPR in certain areas versus others," said Leslie J. Bisson, MD, president of UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine and June A. and Eugene R. Mindell Professor and Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo (UB), and medical director of the Buffalo Bills. "We know that people in underserved communities want to learn CPR but often lack the access, time and resources to seek it."

Dr. Bisson continued. "The focus of our program is to provide low barrier, no cost, hands-only CPR/AED education at school and community events to help close that gap. We work closely with our collaborators at UB, the Buffalo Black Nurses, Inc., the Jacobs School of Medicine's Black Men in White Coats, the American Heart Association, the Buffalo Bills and others. In just the past year, we have trained over 12,000 community members at over 100 training events and we look forward to helping to make Erie County HEARTSafe."

"The Buffalo Bills know firsthand the importance of being trained in CPR. By increasing awareness, providing lifesaving training, and improving access to AEDs we hope to empower our community to help save lives," offered Buffalo Bills Vice President of Community Impact Michelle Roberts.

#

Erie County, HEARTSafe web site: erie.gov/heartsafe

Citizen CPR: https://citizencpr.org/heartsafe

# # #

Image

Image

Changed

09/06/2024 - 12:52 pm