By Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera
In September, I joined County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein and our community partners to share our goal of making Erie County a HEARTSafe Community by 2025. October is recognized as Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month. Here in Erie County we have prioritized sharing heart health information and education through social media and traditional media. Promoting heart health and lifesaving skills are just one component necessary to becoming a HEARTSafe community.
The HEARTSafe designation reflects a commitment to saving lives through effective preparation, enhancing our community’s ability to respond swiftly to sudden cardiac emergencies.
In addition to training at least 15-percent of the community in hand-only CPR, we are working to increase access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and fostering public awareness. This initiative aligns with Live Well Erie’s mission of improving overall cardiovascular health and ensuring rapid, effective action in times of need.
Partnering with the county on this initiative are the American Heart Association (AHA), the Buffalo Bills and UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Doctors. We know that we can not achieve this goal alone. I thank all who have been involved, including Tom Lowe of the American Heart Association, Dr. Leslie J. Bisson from UBMD and Michelle Roberts from the Buffalo Bills Foundation.
But now we need you! I encourage everyone to participate in a hands-only CPR training. This can be done in person, or even by watching a short video clip. To be counted in our total, go to www3.erie.gov/health/heartsafe-video, watch the video and enter your zip code into the attached form. A Spanish language version is also available.
In-person trainings are also available through the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP), and our community partners. To learn more, or to register for an upcoming training visit: www.erie.gov/heartsafe.
We have also been able to offer “pop-up” style trainings at community events, including the Buffalo Bills home opener! Thank you to fans who stopped by the Billevard to learn this skill from our AHA and UBMD trainers. Keep an eye on our Erie County social media channels (Facebook: Erie County, NY or Twitter/X: @ErieCountyNY) for upcoming trainings.
Another way that you can help us reach this goal is by entering the UBMD AED Registration contest for a chance to win prizes up to $1,000! Your help spotting and registering AEDs ensures that 911 dispatchers can easily direct callers to a nearby AED, in addition to having these locations visible via a Google search, and through the smartphone app “Pulse Point.”
You’ll first need to enroll with “Cardiac Crusaders”, a nonprofit founded by Western New York Native and Sudden Cardiac Arrest survivor Julie Coon and her husband Greg. After signing up, we ask you to watch a 20-minute video to become an AED Location Verifier. Winners will be announced February 14, 2025. For more details visit www.ubmdems.com/aed-contest.
We look forward to reaching this goal and to making Erie County a healthy and safe place for all!