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Rugby achieves Cardiac Ready Community designation

BISMARCK- Rugby has achieved the Cardiac Ready Community designation, a community-led initiative that seeks to prepare the entire community to be ready to aid anyone in need of assistance in the event of a heart-related emergency.

Mayville-Portland and Valley City also recently received the designation. Powers Lake received the designation previously.

The Cardiac Ready Communities project is a partnership of the North Dakota Department of Health’s Division of Emergency Medical Systems and the American Heart Association through the North Dakota Cardiac System of Care. The program is designed to promote survival from a cardiac event that occurs outside of the hospital setting.

“Survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is extremely variable throughout the United States with many communities averaging low survival rates of ten percent or less. Trained communities can increase the survivability as much as 50 percent,” said Shila Thorson, state Stroke Cardiac System coordinator.

The minimum criteria to receive the Cardiac Ready Community status include CPR instruction, public access to AEDs, hypertension screenings and resuscitation protocols and transport plans for first responders and area hospitals.

The designation is valid for three years, at which time the communities must renew the designation.

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