HEARTSafe Community

12/08/2025

From Science to Survival: Developing a Plan to Save Lives isn’t another lecture - it’s an interactive, expert-led workshop that transforms strategies into a custom, actionable plan for your community.
Learn how to translate Institute of Medicine recommendations into local strategies, discover proven planning and tactical frameworks, explore evidence-based process measures to boost preparedness, recognition, response, treatment, and survival, and gain real-world insights.
Leave with a functional framework to launch or improve your own cardiac arrest QI collaborative immediately.
Led by a powerhouse faculty of national leaders, David Hiltz, Robert Dunne, MD, FACEP, Susan B. Davis, DNP, MSN, RN, EMT-P, Jim Suozzi, DO, NRP, FACEP, Brandon Oto, PA-C, FCCM, and Richard Shok, RN, NRP, EMS-I, don't miss out on this workshop.
Seats are limited. The clock is ticking.
📅 Dec. 3 | 8 AM – 12 PM at the Citizen CPR Foundation's Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit in Phoenix, AZ.
See the impressive agenda and register here:
https://www.citizencprsummit.org/agenda/

07/08/2025

Prevent, Delay, Rescue

This visual metaphor illustrates a comprehensive approach to managing population health across three key stages:

🔹 Prevent Entry onto the Escalator (Primary Prevention)

The goal is to keep people off the "escalator" of declining health altogether through effective public health interventions. This includes promoting healthy lifestyles, vaccinations, screenings, and addressing social determinants of health to prevent disease from occurring in the first place.

🔹 Slow the Ascent (Secondary Prevention)

For individuals who do enter the pathway of disease, early identification and intervention are crucial. Timely diagnosis and proactive treatment can slow disease progression, delaying or preventing acute events such as heart attacks, strokes, or cardiac arrests.

🔹 Rescue at the Top (Tertiary Care & Emergency Response)

A robust emergency and tertiary care system serves as a safety net for individuals who reach the top of the escalator and experience acute health crises. High-quality, rapid-response systems are essential to improve survival and recovery outcomes.

💡 This framework emphasizes the importance of building a strong health system that prioritizes prevention, ensures timely intervention, and provides lifesaving rescue when needed.

Prevention: The First Line of Defense in Improving Cardiovascular Health

Primary and secondary prevention are upstream solutions with downstream impact. By reducing risk factors like smoking, hypertension, and obesity, communities can reduce the incidence of cardiac events altogether.

👉 Learn more about how prevention is integrated into a plan to improve cardiac arrest survival rates:

📘 HEARTSafe Community Guide (PDF)https://www.citizencprsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-CPR-Foundation-HSC-Guide-FINAL.pdf

19/05/2025

🚨 Big News for Lee County! 🚨
We’re proud to share that Lee County has been officially designated a HEARTSafe Community by the Citizen CPR Foundation! 💓👏

Thanks to the incredible efforts of Heart Smart Lee County, this recognition honors our county’s dedication to saving lives through CPR training, AED access, emergency response coordination, and community education. 🏥🚑🙌

Every CPR class, every AED, every trained student makes a difference — and now, Lee County is leading the way nationwide. 💪

17/04/2025

When a fellow human being is in their ultimate time of need—clinging to life, vulnerable, and in desperate need of help—stepping in to assist is more than just a compassionate act. It is both a civic duty and a moral obligation that binds us together as a society.

As members of a shared community, we rely on each other not only for cooperation and coexistence but also for mutual care in moments of crisis. Civic life is not just about laws and rights—it’s about an unwritten social contract: when someone is suffering or in danger, we don’t look away. We act, because we are all part of something bigger than ourselves.

Morally, the responsibility to help someone in their most fragile moment speaks to the deepest parts of our humanity. It is the recognition that every life holds inherent value, and when we’re in a position to preserve that life, even briefly, we have a sacred opportunity to do so. It’s not about being a hero—it’s about honoring the basic truth that we are all vulnerable, and that one day, it might be our life in someone else’s hands.

To perform CPR, to call for help, to stand by someone who is gasping for breath or slipping away—it’s not just first aid. It’s a profound expression of solidarity, of empathy, and of moral courage. Even if the outcome is uncertain, the act itself affirms what kind of society we want to live in—one where we show up for each other, especially when it matters most.

When sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the first responder is often a bystander.

At Citizen CPR Foundation, we champion CPR and AED education across schools, workplaces, and communities—because the sooner help starts, the greater the chance of survival.

Strengthening the Chain of Survival begins with the first link—but it doesn’t end there.

We’re here to support the partners, educators, and systems that make lifesaving response possible.

31/03/2025

URGENT-DEADLINE APPROACHES! 11:59 PM EST!

The call for presentations for the 2025 Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit (CASSummit) closes in 12 hours, at 11:59 PM EST today.

This is an opportunity to share your research, case studies, best practices, and advocacy efforts related to cardiac arrest and other life-threatening emergencies. The theme for this year is "Seconds to Act — Empowering the Response to Cardiac Arrest and Life-Threatening Emergencies," focusing on a systems approach to time-sensitive emergencies. The summit will address all critical links in the chain of survival and broaden its focus to include other emergencies that require swift response and medical intervention. If you have valuable information to share, now is the time to submit.

https://citizencpr.org/cassummit/

27/03/2025

Call for Presentations — DEADLINE — March 31 at 11:59 PM EST!

We invite you to share your research, case studies, best practices, advocacy, and awareness efforts at the 2025 Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit. By presenting at CASSummit, you’ll not only contribute to the conversation but also help shape the lifesaving knowledge that will make a difference.

This Year’s Theme:
Seconds to Act — Empowering the Response to Cardiac Arrest and Life-Threatening Emergencies
Engage our communities with a systems approach to time-sensitive emergencies.

CASSummit stands out by addressing every critical link in the chain of survival, providing valuable education and inspiration to both prehospital and in-hospital resuscitation professionals, educators, survivors, and community advocates. This year, we are broadening our focus to include other time-sensitive emergencies that demand the same level of preparedness, swift response, and medical intervention as sudden cardiac arrest.

What research, best practices, awareness efforts, or real-life case studies can you share with our eager and engaged CASSummit audience?
For more information on this year’s theme, suggested presentation topics, submission guidelines, and more, please visit this page.
https://www.citizencprsummit.org/call-for-presentations/

21/02/2025

Erie County, NY is taking significant strides towards becoming a designated HEARTSafe Community, a national recognition that highlights efforts to improve heart health and emergency response. By promoting CPR training, increasing access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and fostering public awareness, Erie County aims to enhance its community’s ability to respond swiftly to sudden cardiac emergencies. The HEARTSafe designation reflects a commitment to saving lives through effective preparation, making Erie County a safer place for residents and visitors alike. This initiative aligns with the mission of improving overall cardiovascular health and ensuring rapid, effective action in times of need.
Learn more: https://www4.erie.gov/livewellerie/heartsafe-community

The Citizen CPR Foundation HEARTSafe initiative enables the foundation to continue improving cardiac arrest outcomes through the support and development of holistic, locally tailored, community-led solutions that combine improved accountability with greater investments in prevention, preparation and interventional capacity at the local system level.

This community based QI model provides a framework of 13 evidence-based recommendations to guide communities through implementation. In addition, comprehensive resources are provided as well as access to expert coaching and mentoring.

More on HEARTSafe: https://citizencpr.org/heartsafe-community/

07/02/2025

Summit is unique in addressing every link in the chain of survival, providing education and inspiration to prehospital and in-hospital resuscitation practitioners, educators, survivors and community advocates. This year, we’re expanding our focus to address time- sensitive emergencies that require the same preparedness, rapid response and medical intervention as sudden cardiac arrest.
What best practices, research, awareness and advocacy, or real-life case studies can you share with our engaged and eager-to-learn CASSummit audience?
Explore this page for details about this year’s theme, suggested presentation topics, submission rules and more.
https://www.citizencprsummit.org/call-for-presentations/
Submission closes March 14, 2025 (submissions due by 11:59 p.m. ET)

03/12/2024

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day that highlights the importance of philanthropy, community involvement, social responsibility and an opportunity for all of us to come together in a shared effort to make a positive impact.

Today, we are asking for you to join us in supporting the Citizen CPR Foundation with a charitable donation.

Your contribution will provide critical financial support of the CCPRF’s cornerstone initiative, HEARTSafe Community and further enable the foundation to continue improving cardiac arrest outcomes through the development of holistic, locally tailored, community-led solutions that combine improved accountability with greater investments in prevention, preparation and interventional capacity at the local system level. The foundation has robust plans for the future, but these won't be possible without the financial resources needed to implement them.

Donation link: https://citizencpr.org/donate-now/

02/12/2024

Improving cardiac arrest outcomes requires a coordinated, structured approach to managing and providing life-saving interventions. The singular aim is to improve outcomes by ensuring that the right care is provided at the right time, by the right people, and in the right setting.
Are you looking to reduce mortality and improving long-term recovery through optimal use of resources, protocols, and continuous improvement?
The Community model may be a great resource.
Browse here:
https://www.citizencprsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-CPR-Foundation-HSC-Guide-FINAL.pdf

06/11/2024

Is your community looking for a systematic and comprehensive approach to improving your cardiac arrest system of care? One that guides the establishment of goals, recommends tactics to meet those goals, and how to achieve them?

This guide provides an overview of a community-based approach to improving cardiac arrest outcomes. The evidence-based recommendations and best practices described present interrelated actions that, when combined, can enable short- and long-term improvements for people who experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

https://www.citizencprsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-CPR-Foundation-HSC-Guide-FINAL.pdf

31/10/2024

Communities are calling on their municipalities to support holistic, locally tailored, community-led public safety solutions that combine improved accountability with greater investments in prevention and interventional capacity.
These solutions should focus on improving citizen and visitor safety through data collection and sharing strategies, and creating community-led collaborations that foster mutual trust and optimize the integrated use of available local resources.
The Citizen CPR Foundation encourages the establishment of a diverse, community based team for the purposes of providing leadership, accountability and culture of collaboration with a focus on issues related to sudden cardiac arrest. By bringing the appropriate people together in constructive ways with good information, they will create authentic visions and strategies for addressing the shared concerns of both organizations and the community.
Learn more about their HEARTSafe program here:https://www.citizencprsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Citizen-CPR-Foundation-HSC-Guide-FINAL.pdf