The City of Coon Rapids is now a Heart Safe Community thanks to the work of several volunteers with the Heart Safe Coon Rapids Program. The city is the first in Anoka County to receive this designation and the 25th city in the state. At the November 6 city council meeting, a representative from the Heart Safe Communities program presented the City with its official designation from the Minnesota Department of Public Health and the American Heart Association.

The Heart Safe Coon Rapids program has two main goals: 1) to ensure that automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are easily accessible in the community; 2) to make sure the public is educated and trained to not only recognize the signs of sudden cardiac arrest, but also in the use of hands-only CPR and AEDs.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health,  sudden cardiac arrest is the second-leading cause of death in Minnesota, responsible for almost 20% of deaths. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, and almost always it’s fatal. The Heart Safe Communities initiative is working to change those statistics.

The Heart Safe Coon Rapids program has already trained over 1,300 people in the community about the signs of sudden cardiac arrest, hands-only CPR and AED use. The program has also identified over 100 AEDs in public areas of the community. Program organizers say even though the city has received its official designation, their desire to educate and train the community as well as secure more public access AEDs won’t stop! Organizers want to train half of the Coon Rapids population in CPR and AED use (some 30,000 people!). If you would like to get involved or learn more, contact the Heart Safe Coon Rapids program at heartsafe@coonrapidsmn.gov.

For more information, please contact 763-755-2880.