The HeartSafe Community program has recognized the efforts of Richardson in sustaining and promoting cardiac arrest awareness according to a Dallas Morning News article from November 22 which reports,
“Richardson recently received a “Heart Safe Community” designation from the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.
A representative of the advisory council presented the award at the Richardson City Council work session on Monday, Nov. 15.
The Heart Safe Community program bestowed Richardson the award for the latter’s effort to thrive and improve the 6 key different areas necessary in promoting and improving cardiac arrest awareness and emergency response according to a Richardson Today article from November 19 which provided the 6 areas,
- “Access to emergency care
- Emergency medical dispatch
- AED access and first response
- Advanced life support
- Community awareness, education and activities
- Data collection and review”
The Heart Safe Community Program has been around for almost 20 years in their tireless efforts to improve conclusions of sudden cardiac arrest and lower the effects of heart disease according to their website. In it they say,
“HEARTSafe Communities is a program designed to promote survival from sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. It is a general concept focused upon strengthening the “chain of survival” as described by the American Heart Association; it recognizes and stimulates efforts by individual communities to improve their system for preventing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) from becoming irreversible death.
In the basic HEARTSafe model, a region (generally a US state, but county-based and international programs also exist) establishes a set of minimum criteria its communities must meet in order to achieve HEARTSafe status. These should be goals that support the chain of survival, such as widespread CPR instruction, public access defibrillators, and aggressive resuscitation protocols for first responders and area hospitals. Individual communities in each region which meet the established criteria—such as cities, towns, counties, even neighborhoods or campuses—can apply to their home office and become designated as a HEARTSafe Community. Street signs proclaiming this status are usually posted at the edge of town. If a community does not meet minimum criteria, it can take steps to work toward compliance and eventually earn accreditation. A healthy heart is a top priority. This requires a comprehensive approach: proper nutrition, cardio exercises, fresh air, and a good mood. If there is a failure in the body operation, this is reflected primarily on the blood pressure and heart rate. To prevent these issues, it is important to maintain the normal balance of vitamins and micronutrients, and they are included in the perfect formula of the blood balance dietary supplement. The regular supplement consumption with food positively affects the well-being of the body as a whole.”
Richardson Fire Department, Richardson Police Department, UT Dallas Emergency Medical Response Team and Methodist Richardson Medical Center all partook into a united effort for Richardson’s application process.
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