Supporting Families. Saving Lives.
VU First Residential University to Achieve Heart Safe Accreditation - NWI Times
Valparaiso University in May became the first residential university in the United States to achieve Heart Safe University Accreditation from the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Foundation.
The effort was led by Tristan Leonhard, a Valpo grad who works in the recreational sports department and is a member of the Health and Safety Committee.
One of the major components is ensuring automatic external defibrillator devices can be reached and brought back to the scene of an incident within 90 seconds from any location in the building. Valparaiso University has more than doubled the number of devices on campus, which can be found in all residence halls, athletic facilities, and public buildings.
"One of the charges I was trying to get on campus was just a bigger presence of the AEDs," Leonhard said. "We don't really have an older population with students around, but we do have a lot of faculty and staff who are a little older. With the AED being a cardiac device, we thought this was a big thing."
Three years ago there were 14 AEDs on campus. After about two years of work and funding requests, there are now 32 with five more to be added by the end of summer.
Leonhard said there have been a couple of elementary schools to earn the accreditation but never been a residential university.
"I think it just shows our commitment to a heart safe campus," he said. "It doesn't have to be an older population, a cardiac arrest can happen to anyone."
Leonhard said not everyone is going to be comfortable with the AED, but what he has been trying to do is meet with all the departments in all the buildings that have one and and familiarize people with the AED.
"The devices, once you open them up it basically talks you through the process," he said.
Leonhard said they have also been teaching something called Citizen CPR, which is not an actual certification, it just talks about what the process of CPR is and highlighting the the fact that 911 needs to be called first.
Woycik: Valpo U Now A Better Place to Have A Heart - Chicago Tribune
Our community and county has so much to be proud of, and so many blessings, and that includes Valparaiso University, which is as much a part of our area as any of us. This Spring, VU, an outstanding academic university, became exemplary in another area when it was named the first residential university in our country to achieve Heart Safe University Accreditation from Sudden Arrhythmia Death Foundation.
Sounds like a long (and strange) title, but its goal is to save lives by ensuring automatic-external defibrillators are no more than ninety seconds away from the scene of any emergency incident. Thanks to the efforts of VU graduate Tristan Leonhard, a member of the Health and Safety Commission who is employed in the recreational sports department on campus, we can all feel confident anywhere on the VU campus because these devices are in all resident halls, athletic facilities, and public buildings. The defibrillators have simple instructions, and definitely save lives when someone is having heart problems. Thanks for having a heart for others, Tristan.