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The Jessamine County Fiscal Court, in conjunction with Jessamine County E911, Jessamine County EMS, Jessamine  County, Nicholasville, and Wilmore Fire Department, and partnering Law Enforcement Agencies, recently announced the adoption of PulsePoint in  Jessamine County to further the community’s commitment to creating a healthy and civically engaged community.  

Since 2019, steps have been taken to improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates within Jessamine County, with survival rates more than doubling. Now, Jessamine County is taking another step to further improve survival rates by leveraging lifesaving technologies.  

PulsePoint Respond empowers everyday citizens to provide lifesaving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). PulsePoint Respond app subscribers who have indicated they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and willing to assist in case of an emergency can be notified if someone nearby is having a SCA and may require CPR. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware alert will alert users in the vicinity of the need for CPR simultaneous with the dispatch of advanced medical care. The application also directs these potential rescuers to the exact location of the closest AED.  

The companion app, PulsePoint AED, lets you report and update AED locations so that emergency responders, dispatch personnel, and nearby citizens can find a nearby AED when a cardiac emergency occurs. You can help build the community registry by using the PulsePoint AED app or aed.new, to describe the location of an AED and add a picture. This information is then staged for local authorities to verify. After that, the  AED location data can be available to dispatchers and anyone using the PulsePoint Respond App.  

“With PulsePoint, we hope to increase bystander involvement in time-sensitive medical calls by increasing the use of CPR and AEDs, while also  keeping the community informed, in real-time, of all emergency activities,” said Jessamine County EMS Chief Jamie Goodpaster. “It gives our  residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene. It also shows them the general information for all 9-1-1 calls to keep them better informed of what is going on in our community.”  

“Our goal with PulsePoint is to engage willing community members to increase bystander CPR – the most time-sensitive medical emergency,  while also keeping the community informed, in real-time, of relevant emergencies. Our residents and visitors will have the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by in a public area, and if an AED is available, they will be mapped to the location of the AED, enabling them to perform potentially lifesaving CPR while emergency responders are on their way. Our community will also stay informed of accidents and other safety hazards so they can avoid those areas. In addition to nearby CPR needed notification, subscribers can follow and be alerted to local  threats such as flooding and utility emergencies, as well as others. It also provides a communication platform for first responders to communicate important updates and news to the community.”

Judge Executive David West said “I’m proud of the significant accomplishments our EMS has achieved, and this represents another positive step forward for the people of Jessamine County.” 

With a dedication to excellence, integrity, and compassion, Jessamine County EMS stands as one of the most clinically progressive and award-winning services in the state of Kentucky. Their unwavering commitment to providing exceptional emergency medical care sets them apart and has earned them a reputation that speaks for itself, recently being recognized as a Resuscitation Academy Lighthouse. Jessamine County EMS understands the impact their actions have on the lives of those they serve and strive to provide the highest level of care in every situation to the  citizens and visitors of Jessamine County. 

About sudden cardiac arrest 

Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly  stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, more  than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. 

Survival rates nationally for SCA are less than eight percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain.  However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. The average EMS response time is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes, there is little chance of successful resuscitation. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.