Commissioners approve two AEDs and PulsePoint integration, contribute $20,000 to Heart Safe Porter County

Porter County health‑department staff and Heart Safe Porter County representatives updated the board on a countywide initiative to reduce deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. The presenter said the program has added 14 community accessible AEDs, purchased 25 AEDs for first responders and increased hands‑only CPR by 10% since October. The stated goals with the funding include installing two additional 24‑7 “safe heart” AED stations and integrating PulsePoint with the county 9‑1‑1 system so credentialed, trained civilians can be alerted to nearby cardiac arrests.

Health staff explained the PulsePoint integration would notify app users within the geofence and provide immediate AED locations to both public volunteers and first responders; they said the integration required credentialing for responders and data sharing with the county CAD system. Commissioners asked about community training, AED placement (Sunset Hill Park and the Expo Center), and funding. One commissioner expressed concern about previous uses of opioid settlement funds by the county council; the board discussed using county budget funds and the commissioners agreed to contribute $20,000.

Motion and outcome: the board voted to approve the purchase and integration with the commissioners contributing $20,000 toward the project. The approved purchase covers two AEDs and necessary software/hardware to integrate AED locations and PulsePoint notifications with 9‑1‑1 systems. The health presenter said the funds will also help support training and PulsePoint setup.