The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, and the Ontario Base Hospital Advisory Group – Medical Advisory Committee all emphasize the need for credible program medical direction, professional training standards and comprehensive continuous quality improvement supported by continuing education programs. The purpose of these program components is twofold:
- To ensure the successful implementation of an Early Defibrillation Program.
- To ensure the long term success of a program through feedback and celebration of program successes.
As the agency that provides medical direction and oversight for prehospital care in Durham Region, York Region, City of Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough County, County of Haliburton and Northumberland County we ensure that targeted responders performing semi automatic external defibrillation (SAED) have supervision from a physician.
The Cardiac Safe Community Program for Durham Region is hosted by Lakeridge Health Corporation, Central East Prehospital Care Program and together, we are represented through our roles on various community health advisory committees.
The physician and the Central East Prehospital Care Program ensure that every certified AED provider is able to perform the skill of defibrillation safely and effectively, and all of our program graduates are certified to the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario guidelines. At present, we provide continuing medical education, medical oversight, and medical delegation to Fire and Emergency Services in Ajax, Clarington, Oshawa, Scugog, Whitby, Pickering, Uxbridge, and Brock Township, City of Kawartha Lakes, Markham, Central York, Vaughan, Town ofGeorgina, Georgina Island, Whitchurch Stouffville, Richmond Hill, King Fire and East Gwillimbury. We also provide medical oversight, continuing medical education and medical delegation for Durham Region Emergency Medical Services (EMS), York Region EMS, Northumberland EMS, Peterborough EMS, City of Kawartha Lakes EMS and Haliburton EMS as well as Emergency Response Teams at Ontario Power Generation (Darlington and Pickering sites) and General Motors Oshawa.
The Cardiac Safe Community Program not only teaches the use of a semi automatic external defibrillator (SAED) but also enhances the targeted responder’s capabilities for dealing with medical emergencies in any environment. It is for this reason that our Program is utilizing experienced EMS Paramedics and Firefighters, who manage life threatening emergencies on a daily basis to deliver the program content. These instructors are qualified to deliver Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and SAED according to the guidelines set by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the Central East Prehospital Care Program.
As in other communities the goal of the Cardiac Safe Community Program is to enhance the survival to the point of hospital discharge of citizens suffering from a sudden collapse due to a cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. To achieve success, this program is working diligently to encourage and sponsor a partnership approach to public access defibrillation. The partnership between the municipalities, the Emergency Medical Services, the Fire Services and the Central East Prehospital Care Program provides the leadership, which encourages the participation of the public as well as the private sector into this program.
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