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Cardiovascular Info. American Heart Association Brigham and Women's CV Services Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery Cardiac Diseases & Conditions Dept. of Healthcare Policy and Harvard Medical School Society of Thoracic Surgeons Warning signs for heart attack and stroke Cardiologists Adnan Naber Bruce Levy Eleanor Sullivan George Christman, JR. Jennifer Ladner John Arthur Kasia Filipek-Moskal Mark Wolfe Richard Zelman Vikas Saini More

An important recognition
Cape Cod Healthcare has focused much of its energy and reources on becoming a top-notch cardiac care organization in recent years. How appropriate then that these efforts contributed to the entire Cape being designated by the American Heart Association as a Heart Safe Community.

For a community to gain the Heart Safe designation, it must meet four criteria: early access to emergency care, early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced care. Cape Cod proved by its rapid EMS response, the level of CPR training in the community, the presence of automated external defibrillators at key locations, and the creation of new cardiac programs at both Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital that it was capable of meeting these needs.

“By increasing the number of people trained in CPR and increasing public access to defibrillation through strategic placement of automated external defibrillators, we can increase the survival rate for cardiac arrest victims,” said Louise Goyette, Director at the Office of Emergency Medical Services. “This is a great way for communities to show their commitment to the health of their friends and neighbors.”

A major element of the Cape's drive to gain Heart Safe status has been the placement of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in as many locations as possible. Golf courses, schools, businesses, and other public areas can save lives by having these devices, which can be used by a non-expert to stop cardiac arrest, readily at hand.

Sudden cardiac arrest claims about 250,000 lives each year in the United States, and only five percent of victims survive. Since the population on Cape Cod has a higher average age than the rest of Massachusetts and the elderly are at greater risk, it is important that the community have strong measures in place to provide needed cardiac care quickly and expertly. The additions of the cardiac surgery and angioplasty programs at Cape Cod Hospital are important elements in providing this care, as are improvements in the technology on local ambulances.