West Palm Beach, FL Earns HEARTSafe Community Designation, Advancing Lifesaving Readiness Through West Palm Beach HEARTSafe Initiative
FEBRUARY 3, 2026 | West Palm Beach, Florida — The City of West Palm Beach has been officially designated a HEARTSafe Community by the Citizen CPR Foundation, recognizing a communitywide commitment to improving survival from sudden cardiac arrest through partnerships, education, and preparedness.
This national recognition highlights West Palm Beach’s leadership in building a culture of cardiac readiness through the West Palm Beach HEARTSafe Initiative, a collaborative effort with Palm Beach County EMS, local hospitals, schools, fire departments, law enforcement, and community organizations. The HEARTSafe Community designation is awarded to municipalities that meet rigorous benchmarks in public access defibrillation, CPR training, emergency response, and public awareness.
“Being named a HEARTSafe Community reflects our belief that public safety is about preparation, people, and partnerships,” said Mayor Keith A. James. “This designation affirms the work our first responders, City staff, and community partners do every day to ensure that when seconds matter, help is ready and lives can be saved.”
To earn the HEARTSafe designation, West Palm Beach successfully met all key criteria set by the Citizen CPR Foundation. These include establishing a lead agency to coordinate citywide efforts, training a meaningful percentage of residents in CPR each year, and placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in public locations throughout the city, with registration and maintenance systems in place. West Palm Beach also ensured 911 dispatchers are trained to provide CPR instructions over the phone, developed public awareness campaigns, and created systems for data collection, citizen rescuer recognition, and long-term program sustainability.
“Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere — at home, at work, or in public spaces,” said City of West Palm Beach Fire Chief Diana Matty. “This recognition underscores our commitment to ensuring our community is prepared to act quickly, confidently, and effectively when it matters most.”
The West Palm Beach HEARTSafe Initiative has spearheaded CPR and AED training across schools, workplaces, community centers, and government offices. Local hospitals and EMS providers have offered clinical guidance and training resources, and city policies now ensure that public employees receive Hands-Only CPR certification. Students in West Palm Beach schools are educated in lifesaving techniques before graduation, helping to cultivate a new generation of citizen responders.
“We are very proud to congratulate our friends, colleagues and leaders in the West Palm Beach community for building a culture of cardiac readiness and as a result, for achieving the Citizen CPR Foundation’s HeartSafe Community designation,” said Stu Berger, MD, President of the Citizen CPR Foundation. “This designation and all the education around CPR training, public access defibrillation education AND preparedness will undoubtedly improve survival from sudden cardiac arrest.”
“West Palm Beach’s application demonstrated a comprehensive, community-driven approach,” said Rich Shok, RN, EMT-P, HEARTSafe Program Director at the Citizen CPR Foundation. “Their teamwork between first responders, schools, hospitals, and residents shows what’s possible when a community makes cardiac preparedness a priority.”
“Communities like West Palm Beach remind us that life saving change happens when leadership, education, and citizen action come together,” added David Hiltz, a Program Advisor at the Citizen CPR Foundation. “The HEARTSafe designation is more than a symbol—it reflects systems that will save lives today and for years to come.”
As a HEARTSafe Community, West Palm Beach joins a growing national network committed to reducing deaths from sudden cardiac arrest through prevention, empowerment, and collaboration.
About the Citizen CPR Foundation:
The mission of the Citizen CPR Foundation is to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest by stimulating effective community, professional, and citizen action. This mission is realized through three core values: CPR and AED use saves lives; collaboration among citizens, professionals, communities, and organizations is key; and action based on best practices in science, education, and implementation improves outcomes.
About the West Palm Beach
The City of West Palm Beach is a vibrant and dynamic city on Florida’s Atlantic coast. With a rich history, thriving arts and cultural scene, and a commitment to sustainability, the City of West Palm Beach is a great place to live, work, and play. As one of the three largest cities making up the South Florida region and the central city of Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach is a vibrant, growing waterfront city that seamlessly blends the business advantages available in the area with a more refined and relaxed environment for living and working, making it an exceptional destination for both residents and professionals alike. To learn more about the City of West Palm Beach, visit their official website.
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Media Contacts:
Citizen CPR Foundation
Richard Shok
HEARTSafe Program Chair
Citizen CPR Foundation
860.786.1789
rich@code1web.com
West Palm Beach
Kathleen Joy
Director of Communications
City of West Palm Beach – Mayor’s Office
(561) 822-1411 (TTY: 800-955-8771)
kjoy@wpb.org
Past Press Releases
JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA, ACHIEVES HEARTSAFE COMMUNITY DESIGNATION
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA., NOW RECOGNIZED AS A HEARTSAFE COMMUNITY
LA CROSSE, WIS., ACHIEVES HEARTSAFE COMMUNITY DESIGNATION
November 2021: CITIZEN CPR FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES THIS YEAR’S 40 UNDER 40 CLASS
November 2021: LIVE CPR TRAINING, SURVIVOR STORIES AMONG HIGHLIGHTS OF CPR SAVES LIVES RALLY
October 2020: MEET SURVIVORS UNDER 40 IN NEW VIDEO
January 2020: SAVE LIVES FROM SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST
