AGENCIES LAUNCH LIFE-SAVING SMARTPHONE APP
Pulsepoint App Launched by Local Agencies to Save Lives in Putnam County
COOKEVILLE, TENN – When Dr. Chuck Womack, of the Cookeville City Council, first heard of the Pulsepoint app, he instantly knew he wanted to bring it to the citizens and visitors of Putnam County. When Womack set out to raise funding for the app, it didn’t take very long for local organizations and agencies to jump onboard.
The app builds on the Public Access AED (automated external defibrillator) and CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) program already in place throughout the County. The app allows the Putnam County 911 Center to notify citizens who are near a potential cardiac arrest victim of the crisis.
“The Pulsepoint app allows us to engage anyone trained in CPR and notify them someone might need the help they are trained to provide,” explained 911 Director Mike Thompson. “It really embraces the entire community in helping to potentially save someone’s life,” he continued.
Citizens can download the Pulsepoint Respond app from their device’s app store. Once downloaded the app will ask citizens to verify they are trained in CPR and the use of an AED. Then, users will choose their community. Users will then instantly be signed up to receive alerts if they are within the quarter mile predefined radius of the crisis.
Pulsepoint was purchased through a partnership among Putnam County 911, the Cookeville Regional Charitable Foundation, Tennessee Heart, and Mended Hearts – Cookeville Chapter. Tennessee Heart Cardiologist Dr. Brian Dockery explained the importance of the app, “We consider this app and its users valuable tools to help us provide prompt treatment to cardiac arrest victims.” Dockery, who also serves as one of the medical directors for Putnam County EMS, continued “This app will enable CPR-trained citizens to provide lifesaving treatment to their neighbors until EMS arrives. It also informs its users of the nearest AED while they are responding.”
With technology often come concerns. “One concern many people have is privacy,” explained Thompson. “Pulsepoint only notifies civilians of responses at a public location – we will not notify just anyone of a medical emergency at your home.”
However, officials are also implementing a new version of the app that will notify off-duty emergency personnel, doctors, nurses, and approved responders, who will be notified of a potential CPR need at a private residence as well. That app functions exactly like the citizen version of Pulsepoint, but does not notify civilians of the residential call.
The Pulsepoint app also has another feature that has been popular among the testing groups. It displays other emergency calls that are in the 911 dispatch system. Calls for fire and rescue services, as well as medical calls at public locations, are displayed in the application’s dashboard. The app user can also choose to receive notifications of crashes that could potentially block areas roadways.
Not only will the app work in Putnam County, but when users of the app travel to other areas of the Country who use Pulsepoint, they immediately become part of that community’s network of responders.
“We feel strongly that this app will save lives in Putnam County,” stated Dockery. “We encourage anyone trained in CPR to download the app and become part of the network,” he concluded.
To find out more information about the Pulsepoint app, visit pulsepoint.org or the 911 page of www.putnamcountytn.gov
# # #
TN Heart_Pulsepoint
