Dept. of Public Health: Stratford's Good for the Heart

By Phil Onofrio, Director of EMS/Public Safety Dispatch

I am pleased to inform everyone that the town of Stratford is now officially designated as a "HEART Safe" Community by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

has been working collaboratively with , and Board of Education among many other town departments to achieve the "HEART Safe" Community designation.

I would like to thank every department that contributed by sending employees to receive this important life safety training and providing this important training to others by offering CPR/AED classes to the public.

This program is designed to improve the chain of survival and save lives through public education and early access to defibrillation (AED). We believe in this program and in providing a cardiac arrest patient with the best possible chance for the best possible outcome.

Bystanders are more likely to witness the onset of a cardiac event; therefore, continued training of our citizens and town employees in CPR/AED along with our professional first responders, we will further increase the rate of survival.

We will be holding a ceremony on Thursday, April 26 from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at EMS (2712 Main Street) for the "HEART Safe" Community event/certification presented by State Regional Emergency Medical Services Coordinator Tomas Lenart.

Please join us if you can.

Phil Onofrio

Director of EMS/Public Safety Dispatch