NEW ULM - New Ulm has been named a "Heart Safe" community by Allina Hospitals and Clinics.
Officials from Allina and New Ulm Medical Center gave the news and presented a certificate to the New Ulm City Council at its meeting on Tuesday.
New Ulm is only the third community in Minnesota to receive the designation. Apple Valley and New Brighton are the other two.
Lori Burkhart, coordinator of the Allina Heart Safe Community Project in New Ulm, explained to the council what it takes to be a Heart Safe Community.
Through the Heart Safe Community program and Allina's Heart of New Ulm project, there have been more than 30 classes emphasizing heart healthy living in New Ulm, with over 3,000 attendees; 58 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have been placed throughout the community; AEDs are readily available to first responders, (EMS and law enforcement), over 70 CPR classes have been held, and Advanced Life Support personnel are on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week through Allina Medical Transportation.
The program is a community service program of Allina Hospitals and Clinics, started through the leadership of Dr. Charles Lick, Allina Medical Transportation Medical Director, and an emergency room physician at Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo.
The presentation of the Heart Safe designation took up most of the meeting on Tuesday. The only other action taken by the council was to set up a five-person task force, to be led by Councilor Les Schultz, to look into the issue of the city's ragged looking "Welcome to New Ulm" signs. Schultz hopes to come up with a plan to design and create new signs, without busting the city's budget.
Mayor Joel Albrecht agreed the project was long overdue. "It was talked about back when I was on the council," he said.
Dr. Ann Vogel encouraged the task force to draw on the talented and artistic people in New Ulm, and companies such as American Artstone to produce better looking signage to greet people entering the city.
