Minneapolis Project Heartbeat
A public-private partnership that makes life-saving defibrillators more accessible in public settings
Minneapolis Project Heartbeat, a public-private partnership of the City of Minneapolis and Cardiac Science is dedicated to saving lives by making automated external defibrillators (AEDs) accessible in public and corporate settings throughout the Minneapolis area. With more than a quarter of a million deaths attributed each year to sudden cardiac arrest in the United States, research shows that the key to surviving this catastrophic event is the speed of response – a cardiac arrest victim receiving a shock from an AED within one minute stands a 90 percent chance or resuscitation, while a victim having to wait 10 minutes for a shock may only have a 5 percent chance of survival.
Cardiac Science is a leading manufacturer of life-saving AEDs. Interested businesses or municipal organizations should call 1-888-707-7978 to take advantage of this offer. Businesses that qualify will be offered an AED and AED program management, including an American Heart Association training package at a much-reduced cost to the buyer with a portion of that revenue being returned to the Minneapolis Fire Department to be used to retain full-time firefighters.
The Fire Department began the citywide effort in 2003 with the purchase of 58 Cardiac Science AEDs for deployment at fire stations and on its fire and emergency medical services vehicles throughout the city. In addition, Cardiac Science donated an additional 32 AEDs to the City, and they are located throughout City Hall and Courthouse, City of Lakes and Public Service Center buildings, and the Minneapolis Convention Center.
In April 2004, the Minneapolis City Council passed a resolution supporting the public-private partnership. Also, the American Heart Association, a participating member of Minneapolis Project Heartbeat, strongly encourages establishing public access defibrillation programs as an important way to save lives of thousands of cardiac arrest victims.
If you are an organization that would like to be considered for an AED at your location, please contact Matthew Lese from Cardiac Science Corporation at 651-334-3241 or e-mail him at mlese@cardiacscience.com . For more information on Minneapolis Project Heart Beat, Cardiac Science, and automatic external defibrillators, click on the links below:
City of Minneapolis Project Heartbeat Brochure (pdf)
Automatic External Defibrillators
Last updated Nov. 8, 2011