FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            Connecticut Department of Public Health

June 21, 2010                                           Contact: William Gerrish

                                                                 (860) 509-7270

HARTFORD – The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), in collaboration with the American Heart Association, announces that New Canaan has been designated a HEARTSafe Community.

“The HEARTSafe Communities program is designed to promote and recognize the efforts of local municipalities to provide improved cardiac response and care to its residents,” said DPH Commissioner Dr. J. Robert Galvin. “New Canaan has demonstrated its commitment toward ensuring that its residents and visitors receive the early lifesaving response proven to increase the chances of survival for heart attack victims.”

DPH began the HEARTSafe Communities program to foster community environments that improve the survival odds for people suffering sudden cardiac events, such as cardiac arrests or heart attacks. The key to the program has been dubbed by the American Heart Association as the Chain of Survival. The Chain of Survival has four vital links:  early access to emergency care; early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); early defibrillation and early advanced care.

"Community safety and readiness is an ongoing challenge the Town of New Canaan takes very seriously,” said First Selectman Jeb Walker. “Having our town designated as a HEARTSafe Community means we have made a commitment to improving our ‘Chain of Survival’. This commitment, along with trained and equipped first responders, will increase the likelihood that a life can be saved."

A HEARTSafe Community promotes and supports: CPR training in the community; public access to defibrillation through strategic placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for use by public safety professionals and other trained community members; and early advanced care.

New Canaan met the program requirements for public placement of AEDs, trained community residents, and equipped, staffed and trained emergency responders. In addition, New Canaan is planning on continuing to provide community CPR training programs and expand the availability of AEDs in public locations.

Municipalities wishing to obtain designation as a HEARTSafe Community can download an application from the State Department of Public Health website at: www.ct.gov/dph/hdspp or contact Gary St. Amand, Health Program Associate, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program at gary.stamand@ct.gov or 860-509-7581.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state.  To contact the department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.

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