WSU professor bolsters life-saving efforts in community via PulsePoint app
OGDEN, Utah — When approached to be involved in an initiative to improve the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates in Weber and Morgan counties, a WSU professor answered the call.
Bill Robertson, associate professor of emergency healthcare, teamed up with Deputy Chief Michael Slater of the Ogden City Fire Department to incorporate the life-saving efforts of the mobile app, PulsePoint, into the local community.
“Chief Slater reached out to me in hopes that Weber State’s Department of Emergency Healthcare could collaborate and assist in the efforts,” Robertson said. “Since our department provides all of the paramedic training for the Ogden City Fire Department, it was just a natural partnership.”
PulsePoint works by routing 911 calls that go through dispatch and notifying responders who are within one-fourth of a mile of the victim's location and the nearest automated external defibrillator.
“The sooner CPR is started, even by a bystander, the better the victim’s chance of survival,” Robertson said.
Robertson helped secure funding for PulsePoint access and training efforts for the public and first responders. Others from the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions realized the importance of a program and chipped in.
“The PulsePoint program is free to download for the public, but it does have a fee for it to be implemented within the participating county’s dispatch system,” Robertson said.
The Dean’s Office of Health Professions made a financial contribution alongside public and private contributors that allowed for PulsePoint to be connected to Weber and Morgan counties’ dispatch systems for the next two years, Robertson said.
Through Robertson’s work and dedication, Weber State is even more connected to the larger initiative to improve the community’s health – and possibly save lives.
“Going forward, the Department of Emergency Healthcare will play a bigger role in providing the necessary training to active emergency medical services providers in the area, as well as hosting community CPR training,” Robertson said. “This has been Chief Slater's project from the beginning. We're just helping out wherever we can.”
Kate Lyons, Dumke College of Health Professions
801-626-7109, katherinelyons@weber.edu- Contact:
Kate Lyons, Dumke College of Health Professions
801-626-7109, katherinelyons@weber.edu