On Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, the Johnson County Ambulance Service (JCAS), in partnership with the Rotary-Kerber HeartSafe Community Campaign, announced the adoption of PulsePoint in Johnson County to further the commitment to creating a healthy and civically-engaged community.
The event was held at the Johnson County Ambulance and Medical Examiner Facility, 808 S. Dubuque Street, Iowa City, and was highlighted by messages from Fiona Johnson, Johnson County Ambulance Service Director; Pat Heiden, Johnson County Board of Supervisors member; Dr. James Merchant, Dr. Dianne Atkins, and Dr. Linda Kerber, Rotary-Kerber HeartSafe Community Campaign representatives; and Kathy Jensen, a local Sudden Cardiac (SCA) survivor. The speakers detailed the benefits of PulsePoint, a free-to-download mobile app, which 1) alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid, 2) helps build a comprehensive Automated External Defibrillator (AED) registry and 3) informs the community of emergency activity in real time.
PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). PulsePoint Respond app subscribers who have indicated they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and willing to assist in case of an emergency can be notified if someone nearby is having a SCA and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert users in the vicinity of the need for CPR simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care. The application also directs these potential rescuers to the exact location of the closest AED.
The companion app, PulsePoint AED, lets you report and update AED locations so that emergency responders, including nearby citizens, can find an AED close to them when a cardiac emergency occurs. You can help build the community registry by using PulsePoint AED to describe the location of an AED and add a picture. This information is then staged for local authorities to verify. After that, the AED location data can be made available to dispatchers and anyone using the PulsePoint Respond app.
“With PulsePoint we hope to increase bystander involvement in time-sensitive medical calls by increasing the use of CPR and AEDs, while also keeping the community informed, in real time, of all emergency activities,” said JCAS Director Johnson. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene. It also shows them general information for all 9-1-1 calls to keep them better informed of what’s going on in our community.” Throughout the year, the Johnson County Ambulance Service responds to nearly 13,577 incidents, including 79 cardiac arrest events.
In April, the Rotary-HeartSafe Community Campaign will launch an AED treasure hunt in Johnson County. Anyone can compete to find the most AEDs in Johnson County from April 1-30, 2022. More information is available at www.iowaheartsafe.org.
About Johnson County Ambulance Service
Johnson County Ambulance Service is dedicated to serving the residents and visitors of Johnson County by providing efficient and effective emergency medical care and transportation. JCAS provides services in a professional manner while maintaining the dignity of those served. JCAS continually strives to learn, improve and grow in enhancing the quality of the care delivered. More information is available at https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/ambulance/about-jcas.
About Rotary-Kerber HeartSafe Community Campaign
The Rotary-Kerber HeartSafe Community Campaign's mission is to increase the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Iowa City and Coralville by motivating laypersons to intervene effectively using CPR and AEDs. More information is available at https://iowaheartsafe.org/.
About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and professional emergency responders, increase civic engagement and empower the community to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.