Lifesaving Technology via Mobile App Comes to the Fox Valley Region
On June 10, Gold Cross Ambulance Service and its partners will launch a region-wide effort to help save lives via a mobile app called PulsePoint Respond. The app notifies CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in nearby public locations so they may administer aid.
The app also notifies users of the closest available publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Early use of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest. PulsePoint is not limited to emergency responders or those with official CPR certification. It can be used by anyone who has been trained in CPR.
“Saving more lives is always the goal,” said Gold Cross Ambulance Executive Director Mark Fredrickson. “Our region is already a leader in placing publicly accessible AEDs in downtown areas, schools, libraries and other public places. The PulsePoint app program now helps more people respond immediately to a cardiac event that occurs in a public place, as well as provides information to help them quickly locate the nearest AED. PulsePoint significantly strengthens the Chain of Survival in our region.”
The four partners who are joining to bring the app and its related technology to the greater Fox Valley region are Gold Cross Ambulance Service, the Gold Cross HeartStart program, the ThedaCare Family of Foundations and Fox Valley Emergency Medicine. During the June 10 launch event and news conference, the partners will encourage all CPR-trained citizens to download the free PulsePoint Respond app from the iTunes Store and Google Play. Once the app is installed on a mobile phone, users become the first line of response in a cardiac emergency that occurs in a public place.
A 911 call triggers the usual emergency response from first responders and Gold Cross Ambulance – and alerts PulsePoint users. “By directly alerting those who are qualified and nearby, possibly in the business next door or on the floor above, PulsePoint puts the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Richard Price, president of the California-based nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation.
June is National CPR and AED Awareness Month. The June 10 launch of PulsePoint at Gold Cross Ambulance headquarters in Menasha is part of the annual Open House for Gold Cross. Media are invited to a news conference at 10:30 a.m. on June 10, in which the PulsePoint Respond app will be officially launched. Gold Cross headquarters is located at 1055 Wittmann Dr., Menasha.
At the event, which is open to the public, visitors can learn hands-only CPR, download the app, and meet area first responders and Gold Cross Ambulance paramedics. Visitors will also find refreshments, free youth bicycle helmets, vehicle extraction demos, fire trucks, a visit from ThedaStar Air Medical, marrow matching and blood donation opportunities.