Cal Maritime recognized as a Heart Safe institution through collaborative campus-wide effort

VALLEJO, Calif. -  Cal Maritime is proud to announce that it has been officially recognized as a Heart Safe Campus, a designation that highlights its commitment to cardiac emergency preparedness and response. This achievement was made possible through a collaborative effort across multiple departments, ensuring a comprehensive and sustainable approach to campus-wide safety.

The recognition comes as a result of a joint initiative between Athletics, Environmental Health & Safety, Health Center, Peer Health Educators, and Campus Police. Together, these departments worked to implement key life-saving measures, including widespread CPR and AED training.

In the past four years, Cal Maritime's Sports Medicine Department certified over 150 campus community members.

"I think this is a tremendous honor to be recognized as a Heart Safe Campus," said Head Athletic Trainer Jeff Ward.

Ward, who spearheaded the Heart Safe project added, "this achievement reflects not only our dedication to health and safety but also the incredible collaboration between departments, faculty, and students who have come together to make this initiative a reality."

The Heart Safe Campus designation, awarded by the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation, is given to institutions that meet specific criteria for cardiac emergency preparedness. These include: 

• Strategic placement of AEDs in key locations across campus
• Comprehensive CPR/AED training for faculty, staff, and students
• Development of a cardiac emergency response plan in partnership with local emergency responders
• Ongoing health education and awareness campaigns led by multiple departments

"This recognition is a direct result of the teamwork and dedication shown by various campus departments," said Craig Dawson, director of the Environmental Health & Safety Office. "By working together, we created a safer environment where anyone on campus can take action during a cardiac emergency, potentially saving lives."

Cal Maritime will continue to expand its heart safety initiatives by evaluating the number of AED units available, continue integrating CPR certification courses with student and employee training programs and engage in outreach efforts to raise awareness about cardiac health within the campus and local community.