Lifesaving Technology Now in La Porte County Via PulsePoint

PulsePoint Respond alerts CPR-trained citizens to cardiac arrest victims nearby so they may administer aid and help save lives 

LA PORTE, INDIANA (JULY 18, 2024)— Today, La Porte County E-911, along with the City of La Porte HEARTSafe Community Task Force, announced the launch of PulsePoint in La Porte County. The event was held at the La Porte Municipal Airport and was highlighted by messages from Dr. Gary Wheeland, retired physician and Health Foundation of La Porte Board Member; City of La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody; La Porte County E-911 Assistant Director Matt Deckard; La Porte County EMS Administrator Eric Fenstermaker; Play for Jake Foundation founder Julie West; City of La Porte Fire Department Chief Andy Snyder; and La Porte County Council President Randy Novak. The speakers detailed the benefits of PulsePoint, a free-to-download mobile app, which 1) alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid, 2) helps build a comprehensive Automated External Defibrillator (AED) registry and 3) informs the community of emergency activity in real time.  

PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). PulsePoint Respond app subscribers who have indicated they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and willing to assist in case of an emergency can be notified if someone nearby is having a SCA and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert users in the vicinity of the need for CPR simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care. The application also directs these potential rescuers to the exact location of the closest AED.  

The companion app, PulsePoint AED, lets people report and update AED locations so that emergency responders, including nearby citizens, can find an AED close to them when a cardiac emergency occurs. You can help build the community registry by using PulsePoint AED to describe the location of an AED and add a picture. This information is then staged for local authorities to verify. After that, the AED location data can be made available to dispatchers and anyone using the PulsePoint Respond app.  

“With PulsePoint we hope to increase bystander involvement in time-sensitive medical calls by increasing the use of CPR and AEDs, while also keeping the community informed, in real time, of all emergency activities,” said La Porte County EMS Administrator Matt Deckard. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene.”  

In the United States, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of natural death, killing an estimated 436,000 people annually.  This is more than the number of people who die from colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers, as well as auto accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined. SCA is also the leading cause of death among student-athletes, killing more than 9,500 young people each year. (Source: American Heart Association Journals) 

“Time is of the upmost importance when it comes to helping someone experiencing a cardiac arrest. The PulsePoint Respond app provides this critical element: closing the time gap between when a person goes down and when CPR is started,” said Eric Fenstermaker, La Porte County EMS Administrator. “We want anyone willing and able to conduct CPR on someone experiencing cardiac arrest to download the PulsePoint Respond app. This way bystanders and emergency medical first responders can work together to save lives.” 

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About Health Foundation of La Porte 

Health Foundation of La Porte (HFL), a private, independent foundation located in La Porte, Indiana, is dedicated to empowering La Porte County residents to live healthy and well. HFL has invested more than $44 million in the La Porte County community since November 2017. Through strategic and thought leadership grantmaking, and capacity building, HFL aims to further the foundation’s vision for La Porte to be one of the 10 healthiest communities in Indiana by 2030. HFL also offers its state-of-the-art Conference & Learning Center free of charge for nonprofit organizations, government entities, and schools. To learn more about how HFL supports the La Porte County community, visit hflaporte.org, call 219.326.2471, or email contact@hflaporte.org.   

About the PulsePoint Foundation PulsePoint is a public, 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that builds applications for use by public safety agencies to increase community awareness during critical events. The PulsePoint Respond mobile app notifies trained individuals of the nearby need for CPR and the PulsePoint AED registry identifies AED (automated external defibrillator) locations for use by the public and 9-1-1 telecommunicators during emergency call taking. PulsePoint also provides specialized mobile apps for professional responders. Learn more at pulsepoint.org. The free apps are available for download on the App Store and Google Play. 

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur. Survival rates nationally for SCA are less than eight percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain. However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. The average EMS response time in the United States is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.