The National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation (NCEMSF) encourages and promotes community awareness of the potential for saving the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims through the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and increased public access to defibrillation.

     In order to increase this awareness, NCEMSF, with support from HEARTSAFE Communities, the American Heart Association, The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation and industry partners, has developed an initiative to designate college communities as “HeartSafe Campuses.” NCEMSF affirms that the cornerstone of any HEARTSafe Campus is a vibrant campus-based emergency medical response organization.

     “HeartSafe Campuses,” like HEARTSafe Communities, promote and support:

Rapid Response by CPR and AED Trained First Responders

Rapid Public Access to Defibrillation

Early Access to Advanced Care

Public CPR and AED Training for the Community

Engagement in Preventative Cardiovascular Healthcare Activities

     The intent of this program is to recognize quality campus based EMS organizations and their communities and hold them out as examples to other campuses as a means to improve overall cardiac arrest care. Information from this program may be shared by NCEMSF with other campus EMS organizations in consulting, seminars, and written material for the purpose of helping organizations improve the quality of EMS and overall cardiac care on campuses.

     The evaluation is a self-appraisal of campus based EMS organizations assessing quality factors in EMS operations including the delivery of care, training and continuing education of employees and volunteers, and service to the community. The intent of this program is to recognize quality campus EMS organizations and hold them out as examples to other campus EMS organizations that are newly starting or are still developing their programs. Information from this program may be shared by NCEMSF with other campus EMS organizations in consulting, seminars, and written material for the purpose of helping organizations improve the quality of EMS.