CHI - Mercy Hospital Valley City

How A prepared community is a strong community. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in North Dakota. Our state's population is roughly split between urban and rural areas, and that really matters during a cardiac event, when every minute counts. First responders often need time to reach people who live some distance from an emergency room. When this happens, a family member or neighbor could become a lifesaver by recognizing the symptoms of a cardiac event and knowing what to do. That is what being a North Dakota Cardiac Ready Community is all about. ON TRACK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Cardiac Ready Community is a designation recently introduced by the North Dakota Department of Health and the American Heart Association. One pilot program community, Powers Lake in the northwestern corner of the state, has already achieved Cardiac Ready status. Twenty-one additional communities, including Valley City, have voluntarily signed letters of intent for theprogram. "The goal is to promote survival from a cardiac event, such as a cardiac arrest," says Alana McClellan, Emergency Room Manager at CHI Mercy Health and co-leader of the initiative to achieve Cardiac Ready Community designation in Valley City. "It's important to have a community prepared to respond and assist if an individual has a cardiac event outside of the hospital." In a Cardiac Ready Community, more people will recognize when someone is in trouble, call 911, and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) right away rather than waiting for an ambulance, trying to drive the person to a hospital, or not doing anything at all. Chances of survival increase exponentially with CPR and the use of an automated external debrillator (AED) to stimulate the heart when needed. "Patients have better outcomes when CPR is started before we arrive in the ambulance," says Paramedic Melissa Miller, who co-chairs the community workgroup for the initiative. "We are working to get more AEDs out into the community and training people so they know how to do chest compressions as well as how to nd and use the AEDs." The initiative also includes a public awareness campaign and promotion of healthy lifestyle choices to help reduce risk. "We have a lot of the necessary pieces in place already, and we've identied the areas where more work needs to be done," Alana says. "Support has been impressive so far, with good turnout and community leaders willing to take part. It's great to have so many helping hands." To volunteer or to learn more about what it takes to become a Cardiac Ready Community, call Alana McClellan at 701-845-6400. Cardiac Ready Are You? Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud after reading the proclamation declaring Valley City will become a North Dakota Cardiac Ready Community. From left: Valley City Mayor Dave Carlsrud; Alana McClellan, ER Manager; and Melissa Miller, paramedic, Barnes County Ambulance. www.mercyhospitalvalleycity.org /// CATHOLIC HEALTH INITIATIVES 3

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