Holland is officially a HeartSafe Community
HOLLAND — After years of hard work, Holland has officially become a HeartSafe Community.
The designation comes from a national preparedness program that measures 13 criteria — each of which demonstrates a community’s commitment to improving sudden cardiac arrest outcomes and saving lives.
Those requirements include establishing an organization to guide local efforts, training 15% of the community in hands-only CPR annually, developing strategies to improve public awareness and bystander intervention, and placing AEDs.
More: 'It's everything': Locals hope to make Holland a HeartSafe Community
Holland’s efforts to become a HeartSafe Community began in September 2022, when retired paramedic Steve Stegeman approached the Holland Fire Department.
The result was HeartSafe Holland. The organization includes members from HFD, Holland Hospital, American Medical Response, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health, the Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority, Holland Rotary Charities, the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, Evergreen Commons, Holland and local cardiac arrest survivors John Shea and Lisa Cardillo.
The group held numerous training sessions and events to work toward HeartSafe status. During a training at Park Theatre in November, Cardillo and Shea spoke to The Sentinel about the importance of the designation.
"Honestly, as a survivor, for me it's almost a dream come true to be part of a community where people care about others enough to take an hour out of their Wednesday and come push on some mannequins so we can reach this goal,” Cardillo said. “For me and my family, I think it's everything."
Having a large portion of the community trained in hands-only CPR is critical because quick intervention, before an ambulance arrives, greatly increases the odds of survival.
HeartSafe Holland also helped bring PulsePoint to Ottawa County.
Two apps — PulsePoint Respond and PulsePoint AED — are available and active. When a cardiac event is called into 911 from a public place, PulsePoint Respond alerts users within 0.8 miles, including directions and the location of the nearest AED. PulsePoint AED is a database of available AEDs.
Members of HeartSafe Holland are planning to gather at Van Bragt Park at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, to commemorate the designation. A road sign noting Holland’s status as a HeartSafe Community has already been placed along River Avenue.
Subscribe: Receive unlimited access to your local news coverage
The HeartSafe Community Program is similar to the MI HeartSafe Schools Program, which recognizes school buildings that are prepared for cardiac emergencies.
Twelve local schools currently have an active HeartSafe designation. They include Fennville Elementary, Fennville Middle School, Fennville High School, Bentheim Elementary, Blue Star Elementary, Sandyview Elementary, Hamilton High, Holland Language Academy, Holland High School, Saugatuck High School, Harbor Lights Middle School and Macatawa Bay Middle School.
The three Fennville buildings are part of a group of nine schools in Michigan that've been continuously recognized as HeartSafe since the program began.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland is officially a HeartSafe Community
