POUGHKEEPSIE – Seventeen local municipal and community organizations were recognized with Dutchess County’s HEART Safe Community designations at the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s monthly breakfast, Wednesday.

“These organizations have demonstrated how much they care about their residents, their students, and their employees by making the choice to become a Heart Safe Community,” said County Executive William Steinhaus. “Every business, school district, community organization, municipality in our community can follow their lead and take the simple steps to become HEART Safe. Making sure employees are trained in CPR and having Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) available can make a life saving difference in the event of sudden cardiac arrest.”

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Dutchess County with more than 140 residents in Dutchess County who die each year due to sudden cardiac arrest.   In the event of cardiac arrest; the sooner CPR and defibrillation are provided, the better the chances of survival.  

The goal of the HEART Safe Community program is to improve the chances for anyone suffering from sudden cardiac arrest to have the best possible odds for survival.  Dutchess County’s program recognizes and honors the efforts of organizations who have met specific criteria in an effort to potentially save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims through the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and increased public access to defibrillation devices.

The following organizations were presented with HEART Safe Community designations:

Spackenkill High School

Town of Pleasant Valley – Town Hall

Dutchess County BOCES:

• Educational Training Academy
• Salt Point Educational Center
• Career and Technical Institute
• Manufacturing and Technology Institute

Dutchess County Dept. of Mental Hygiene:

• Mental Health Center
• Chemical Dependency Services
• Mansion Street Center
• Poughkeepsie Continuing Treatment Center
• Rhinebeck Continuing Treatment Center
• Southern Dutchess Continuing Treatment Center
• Southern Dutchess Continuing Treatment Center - Hedgewood Satellite

Dutchess County Emergency Response Center

Dutchess County Government satellite office locations:

• The Beacon Center
• 27 High Street in Poughkeepsie
• Eastern Dutchess Government Center in Millbrook