Concurrent Block #5

Special Interest

Leveraging the Principles of HeartSafe Communities® to Create a Culture of Excellence and Improve Community Engagement

Heart Safe Accreditation: Inspiring Action and Accountability

Friday, December 1, 2023

11:05 AM – 11:20 AM PST

Location: Sunset Rooms 1 - 3

Primary Presenter(s)

Teri K. Watson, PhD

Community Outreach Coordinator, Chair Community Heart Watch
Fairfield Medical Center
Lancaster, OH, United States

Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Co-Presenter(s)

Deserae Belcher, RN

STEMI Coordinator & Cardiovascular Data Analyst
Fairfield Medical Center
Lancaster, Ohio, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Sarah McGraw-Thimmes, MHA, BSN, RN

District Health Coordinator
Lancaster City Schools
Lancaster, Ohio, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Moderator(s)

MG

Marc Gay

Disclosure information not submitted.

Disclosure(s):

Teri K. Watson, PhD: No financial relationships to disclose

Summary: Hear about our experiences and lessons learned in developing heart safe accreditation programs for schools, businesses, parks and recreational sports leagues that empower rescuer mindsets and have proven effective at saving lives.

Synopsis: Our Heart Safe Accreditation programs prepare schools, businesses, parks and recreational sports leagues to quickly and effectively respond to cardiac emergencies. Through AED placement, emergency protocol development, training and ongoing awareness initiatives, participating organizations become advocates for bystander intervention. Over the past ten years, we have accredited over 50 schools and businesses as Heart Safe and recently expanded to include parks and sports leagues. Hear about our experience and lessons learned in building sustainable heart safe accreditation programs in your own community. Empowering a rescuer mindset has have proven effective at saving lives.

Learning Objectives:

To inspire others to build heart safe accreditation programs to prepare their communities to respond to cardiac emergencies.
To share our learnings and evolution of accreditation programs over the past decade.
This presentation will include ways to educate citizens that can lead to a comprehensive change to a culture of excellence and improved CPR training in the community, schools and workplace.