Left: Tommy Lucero, center, with his parents Tom Lucero and Julie Kruit. Right: Diana Precht, one of the owners of Vergent Products in Loveland, and Tracy Ireland, the employee who performed CPR on his co-worker.
and surrounding areas a Heart Safe Community. “Tommy is stronger than ever, and it is all because his coaches knew what to do,” says his father. Precht notes, “We’re grateful to have our team member back, and that we have people on our team who are trained and prepared to deal with a cardiac emergency.” This public health project is a partnership of the McKee Medical Center Foundation, McKee Medical Center, CardioVascular Institute of North Colorado, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Thompson Valley EMS, Loveland Police Department, Loveland Emergency Communications and Thompson School District. It follows in the footsteps of the NCMC Foundation’s work to earn the American Heart Association’s designation of Greeley as a Heart Safe City. The City of Greeley was designated as an official “Heart Safe City” in 2013 by the American Heart Association. The award represents a partnership between the City of Greeley, Banner North Colorado Paramedic Services, the Greeley Fire Department, NCMC’s CardioVascular Institute, the NCMC Foundation and numerous philanthropic donors. The Heart Safe City initiative in Greeley included placement of AEDs in every school and public gathering place throughout the city, including the airport, shopping centers, swimming pools, theaters, police cars, museums and other high-use areas. According to NCMC Foundation President Chris Kiser, “Over $100,000 was raised through a grass roots, community-wide fundraising effort sponsored by the NCMC Foundation to make sure that an AED is readily available.” The program also provided certified CPR training to 238 city employees and also funded free, non-certified
Northern Colorado Medical & Wellness 2015
CPR training to area residents. Greeley was the second city in Colorado to receive the designation. In the Loveland area, the initiative focuses on the footprint of the Thompson Valley Health Services District (which roughly matches the area of the Thompson School District), which includes 450 square miles and more than 100,000 people. This community-wide effort will educate area residents on the dangers of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). That includes teaching citizens to recognize symptoms and learn how to administer CPR and use an AED. The end goal is to improve survival rates from SCA, a leading cause of death in the U.S. More than 400,000 people suffer SCA outside of a hospital setting, with 88 percent occurring at home. Less than a third of SCA victims receive CPR immediately from bystanders. Most do not survive, and more than 325,000 lives are lost each year. “The Heart Safe Community initiative is all about meeting a critical public need,” says Julie Johnson Haffner, executive director of the McKee Medical Center Foundation. “When someone’s heart stops beating, the best chance that individual has to survive is for bystanders to call 911, administer CPR and shock the heart into a normal rhythm with an automated external defibrillator.” Once the heart stops, brain death begins to occur in just 4 to 6 minutes. Chances of survival are reduced by 7 to 10 percent with every minute that passes without CPR and the use of an AED. Current survival rates are around 8 percent. If more people were educated in CPR, and AEDs were more widely available in our community, survival rates could be as high as 50 percent. Seattle’s Heart Safe City program raised survival rates to
more than 60 percent. Public CPR classes are planned, both in-depth Heart Saver courses where participants receive certification, as well as shorter refresher courses. The goal is to train 500 community residents in CPR and AED usage. “We want to train people just like you to respond quickly and save someone’s life,” says Haffner. “Most people don’t survive cardiac arrest, and an immediate response can make all the difference. The life you save is likely to be a loved one.” There have typically been six CPR training courses a year provided by Thompson Valley EMS. In 2015, the goal is to conduct 12 courses, and cover the $25 per student cost with funds raised so the course is free for attendees. “Having an AED available is great, but when you know CPR, you take that knowledge with you everywhere you go,” says Mark Turner, Training Captain for Thompson Valley Medical Services. “You can treat someone immediately, without an AED, and save a life.” The initiative also calls for the placement of AEDs in public gathering spots throughout the city of Loveland in places like shopping malls, swimming pools, schools, grocery stores, theaters, museums, golf courses and police cars. These devices are designed to be easy to use, are equipped with simple step-by-step user instructions, and will be maintained by Thompson Valley EMS. AEDS in the community will also be tracked and logged, and emergency dispatchers can inform those who make a 911 call if there is an AED nearby they can use. The Foundation has already donated 32 AEDs, which cost approximately $1,800 each, to the Thompson School District, ensuring that every
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