Making Delaware the Heart-Healthiest State

HEART IN THE GAME TEAMS WITH JPMORGANCHASE’S “TECH FOR SOCIAL GOOD”

CONTRIBUTED BY HEART IN THE GAME

Heart in the Game is a nonprofit organization aimed at eliminating preventable sudden cardiac arrest in youth by staging EKG screenings and training in CPR/AED across the state of Delaware. In fall 2024, the organization was chosen to participate in a Code for Good hackathon hosted by JPMorganChase.

The Tech for Social Good team at JPMorganChase focuses on building technological capacity for socially focused organizations and increasing access to technology experiences for community members, all underpinned by the skills of the firm’s technology workforce. The Code for Good hackathon, a Tech for Social Good program, brings together technologists and socially focused organizations to generate ideas for solving real-world problems.

Fourteen teams of university and college students from across the country gathered at the JPMorganChase Global Technology Center in Delaware to work on challenges submitted by local nonprofit organizations. Seven teams took on the challenge of using technology to raise awareness and advocacy for sudden cardiac arrest and life-saving training measures. Notably,

Heart in the Game was one of only two nonprofit organizations based in Delaware selected for the hackathon.

The following student-built prototypes were proposed:

• AI Chat Box: Defined sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack, including instructions for how to use CPR and AED.

• Increased Accessibility: Developed interactive elements, including navigation buttons and access to organizationspecific forms.

• Gamification: Created interactive games to entertain users while increasing their knowledge of the nonprofit and how to be an advocate.

• Dropdown Functions: Included a list of songs whose rhythms imitate CPR compressions.

• Enhanced SEO Optimization: Improved search engine optimization (SEO) by restructuring the organization’s existing website.

• Improved User Experience: Designed a clearer visual structure, making the website easier to navigate and faster to use.

• Reimagined Organizational Tracking: Created a process to help the nonprofit track insights and streamline organizational processes for staff.

Heart in the Game left the hackathon with a collection of forward-thinking solution prototypes set to inspire future initiatives and strengthen its mission to make Delaware the “heart-healthiest” state and a model for the nation. The organization is exploring how artificial intelligence and chatbots can be leveraged to better educate users on heart health, distinguish between sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack, and provide practical instructions on CPR and AED usage during emergencies.

By incorporating gamification, Heart in the Game aims to create engaging games that not only entertain but also deepen users’ understanding of the nonprofit’s mission and empower them to become advocates. Additionally, the organization seeks to restructure its website to improve visibility, outreach, and user experience. These initiatives are paving the way for Heart in the Game to enhance its mission and plan future steps with renewed clarity and purpose.

Heart in the Game team members Greer Firestone and Rich Wagner noted that they left the event “inspired and honored to be chosen for Code for Good.” Firestone added: “Our next step is to speak to legislators for amendments to the 2014 Grace Firestone Act for Sudden Cardiac Awareness to make Delaware the ‘heart-healthiest’ state. To that end, we have partnered with the American Health Association.”