Heartsafe Communities
What is a Heartsafe Community?
Every year 5.000 people in Denmark get an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. That is 15 sudden cardiac arrests every day in Denmark. If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall about 10 % for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Meanwhile, effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after cardiac arrest – and until the ambulance arrives – can triple a victim’s chance of survival. That is why it is important to have the necessary help nearby in case of a cardiac arrest – and this is where Heartsafe Community can make a difference.
Becoming a Heartsafe Community you are helping to make sure that the necessary help is nearby if an emergency should happen. The more Heartsafe Communities in Denmark, the bigger the chances are to survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
In short, a Heartsafe Community is:
- A clearly defined and bounded area – e.g. a company, an airport, a gym, a small town etc.
- An area that fulfills specific recommendations such as setup and distance to defibrillators, education in CPR, how to use a defibrillator etc.
About us
Heartsafe Community is established in 2022 and is a citizen-oriented initiative in Denmark that works to improve the survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Heartsafe Community is a concept developed by The Danish Resuscitation Council, which is a nonprofit organization, who works to improve survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in cooperation with The Danish Heart Foundation, The Danish Foundation TrygFonden, the Danish trade association for AEDs, the regional emergency medical services and The National AED Network.
In the last 20 years, the area of resuscitation has gone through a huge development which, among other, means that there has been established a nation-wide Heart Runner Project and a national defibrillator network which integrate the many heart runners and defibrillators in the prehospital practice.
Heartsafe Communities contribute to a new standard for the local organization of defibrillators, first responders and help making better conditions to save lives in cooperation with the regional emergency medical services.
The initiative will help the 5.000 people in Denmark who every year get an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The long-term goal is that 19 % survives an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark, which is 150 saved lives each year.
Our advisory board
The advisory board consists of nine experts with medical and organizational knowledge to qualify a Heartsafe Community. The advisory board processes, qualifies and approves the incoming applications as well as giving recommendations to the applicants so they can improve the conditions in order to become a Heartsafe Community.
