• Rotary Year: 2019-2020
  • Application Date: 5/30/2019
  • Club Name (Primary): Warren County
  • Club Name 2: Front Royal
  • Club Name 3: Northern Shenandoah Valley
  • Club Name 4: Winchester
  • Club Name 5: Frederick County
  • Club Name 6: Clarke County
  • Project Name: HEARTS (Helping Educate All Rotarians To Save)
  • Project Total Cost: $6,909.84
  • Grant Amount Requested: $3,454.92
  • Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: The goal of the HEARTS project is to support District 7570 community health and safety and prevent premature death, modeling Rotary leadership in collaboration with District 7570 partners, to support and improve community capacity to teach and administer American Heart Association (AHA) evidence-based CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) measures. Our RCWC President-elect has a vision of every Rotarian being prepared improve world health by saving a life, starting with this one-year, expandable and sustainable pilot program in Area One, Rotary District 7570, directed and administered by the Rotary Club of Warren County in Front Royal, Virginia [a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization].

    Rotary Club of Warren County (RCWC) is prepared to:

    • Partner with the Safety Education Specialists (SES).
    o This Regional Certified AHA Training Center will train the first (three CPR-experienced physicians from the RCWC family) Club trainers and subsequent waves of volunteer CPR instructors from among our Rotary Area membership (see letter of support).
    o SES has already agreed to train our first wave of trainers at less than 45% of the usual cost.
    o SES has already provided invaluable advice on equipment and planning as in-kind support.

    • Establish in-kind training-partner relationships with community health and safety organizations and local AHA certified instructors that offer CPR instruction.
    o Such a commitment is already in place from the Lord Fairfax Health District (LFHD) Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator (see attached letter of support).
    o Providing in-kind exchanges of instructor services with partners (such as SES and LFHD MRC) provides RCWC member sweat equity, provides course scheduling and location flexibility, and reduces instructor expenses for community CPR teaching partners.

    • Assure best practices, as cited by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/features/learn-cpr/index.html accessed 5/27/2019), by teaching AHA-approved courses.

    • Build a culture of safety, with priority to train Area One Rotary Club members, who are community leaders.
    o Area One Clubs have committed support for this Collaborative Grant Application (see the District Collaborative Grants Project Authorization Letter, attached).
    o A Champion will be designated in each Club as their coordinating Club training liaison for this project.
    o Rotarians will then reach out to promote and provide AHA training (at Basic Life Support [BLS] or HeartSaver levels) to the wider community, targeting key partners such as educators, students, care center employees and others.
    o We anticipate training at least 40 participants in this grant (pilot) year.

    • Assure good stewardship:
    o With ongoing program evaluation and program improvement, with timely interim and annual reports to District 7570.
    o By establishing an inventory system for equipment and other assets purchased with grant funds, maintaining records for items purchased or distributed with management and bank account requirements. RCWC will own, store and maintain all materials and equipment being purchased for the HEARTS project, for the good of project beneficiaries. RCWC will administer all fiscal, accounting and reporting aspects of this project, in compliance with Rotary district 7570 Grants guidelines and requirements.

    • Assure sustainability of HEARTS program by:
    o Maintaining newly generated instructor credential maintenance requirements, including a commitment by each RCWC volunteer instructor to continue teaching 4 or more courses each per year, instructing Rotarians and other community members.
    o District 7570 Rotarians and other community members will continue to benefit beyond the first year from classes and recertifications taught by volunteer instructors, with minimal expenses (especially compared to currently available courses) to cover required student manuals and registration/certification credentials when original grant funds are exhausted. All community members of every age will benefit from an expanding number of persons capable of administering timely CPR correctly.
    o Those who are trained will be expected to maintain skills with timely recertification.
    o Area One Clubs will maintain appointment of volunteer HEARTS Champions as the contacts and assistance with projects organization/records for their respective clubs.
    o This is a one-year pilot project, which may serve as a model for other projects with expanded reach, nurturing a Rotary service culture where increasing numbers of Rotarians strive for ongoing proficiency in CPR, allowing them to set the example of service above self and readiness to help save a community life.

    • Assure that grant proceeds are NOT used for:
    o Stipends, salaries or honorariums.
    o Personal or professional development or benefit of any Rotarian or relative of a Rotarian. The three physicians volunteering to be trained as instructors are already Board Certified, Virginia-Licensed and experienced to perform, prescribe and direct resuscitations with authority higher than any AHA instructor certification can endow. No regional hospital or medical practice requires or rewards physicians to be certified as trainers. All three have already voluntarily paid for themselves to be currently certified in AHA Provider BLS, a prerequisite for AHA trainer instruction. They are forgoing income, in-kind rewards and personal time that far exceed the costs associated with instructor certification. They will not receive continuing medical education credit. They will provide sweat equity by volunteering as instructors.
    o The primary project champion/proponent is the RCWC President, who will not be trained as a trainer, but will set the example of certifying in CPR.
  • Expected Start Date: 7/1/2019
  • Expected End Date: 5/15/2020
  • Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 164142
  • Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: Heart disease is the second leading cause of all deaths in Virginia and the leading cause of death for women. Accidents, the third leading cause of death in Virginia, are often fatal because of a lack of immediate resuscitation. Immediate bystander CPR can double or triple the chance of surviving cardiac arrest. Currently, among people whose cardiac arrest occurs outside the hospital (the majority), less than half receive CPR in a timely fashion. Statistics are worse for women and those in low-income areas (https://www.cdc.gov/features/learn-cpr/index.html access 5/28/2019). This project helps fill an unmet need and will benefit the community by:

    • Improving public availability of lifesaving AHA techniques usable by the lay population. For example, only 4 RCWC members are currently certified in CPR, with similarly low numbers currently certified in other area Clubs.

    • Multiplying the number of locally available courses and participant slots. Currently, local Fire and Rescue courses are available 6 times a year to only up to 12 public safety organization members or those with organization approval.

    • Promoting interdisciplinary and trans-cultural collaboration to build community capacity to prevent unexpected cardiopulmonary events.

    • Lessening the consequences of chronic disease in the community, such as cardiac disease, which disproportionately affects persons at lower socioeconomic levels and lower education levels.

    • Improving community health literacy in a variety of settings.

    • Promoting health literacy and community emergency preparedness across all social strata as Rotarians spread through the community to assist in teaching life-saving techniques at levels tailored to various audiences.

    • Lowering the current financial barrier for acquisition of CPR skills because the instructors will be either Rotary volunteers or those who are repaying in-kind class teaching assistance by Rotary volunteers. Currently available CPR training courses available to the lay public can cost as much as $90.00 per person, in contrast to no cost through this pilot program.

    • The number of anticipated beneficiaries is likely to be greater, but the number entered above includes all residents, all ages, of Rotary District 7570 Area One (U.S. Census estimates 2017).
  • Expected Total Project Volunteer Hours: 320
  • Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): • Rotary volunteers will train as Instructors (8 hours each blended learning) and will not receive financial reward for that or for subsequent teaching and AHA course-reporting activities (5 hours per course).

    • Rotary volunteers will travel at their own expense for training of themselves and others, with the pilot originating in Rotary District 7570, Area One. It is anticipated that at least 8 courses will be offered, usually by pairs of instructors.

    • Rotary volunteers will provide in-kind assistance with District AHA BLS and HeartSaver courses when non-Rotarian instructors have assisted with the courses.

    • Rotary Club Champions and other club members will volunteer time to be trained in AHA BLS and HeartSaver (2.5-4 hours per participant). It is anticipated that at least 40 persons will receive BLS or HeartSaver instruction during the Grant year and that the majority will be Rotarians.

    • The RCWC HEARTS Project Coordinator and Collaborating Rotary Club HEART champions will provide free administrative support to the project, such as rolls, registrations, scheduling, AHA paperwork, equipment tracking and logistical coordination.

    • Rotarians will own (the RCWC),maintain and store course equipment.
  • Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: • Rotary external and internal signage and/or banners will be displayed at teaching and learning events.

    • A press release detailing the purpose and plan for the HEARTS project will be provided and promoted to local print, online and radio media and may include Op Eds. The Club Champions will serve as spokespersons.

    • Rotarians will wear insignia on clothing during teaching and learning events.

    • The HEARTS Project will be described, reported and report updates given in the Club, Area and District newsletters and public websites.

    • Area one and District 7570 Rotarians will be provided with message maps to announce and explain the project in their respective professional arenas.

    • HEARTS pop-up banners will be displayed at Rotary and public events.
  • Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: • All District 7570 Area One Rotary Clubs (see District Collaborative Grants Authorization Letter for list), providing sweat equity and financial support.

    • SES, a Regional Certified AHA Training Center and our essential primary training partner (see letter of support), providing in kind and reduced cost support.

    • Lord Fairfax Health District Medical Reserve Corps (see letter of support), providing in-kind support.

    • The recruitment of partners from the school systems, faith communities and regional healthcare systems is in progress, letters not yet available but will be included in interim or final reports.

    • Blue Ridge Community Health, for over 25 hours free in-kind preparation of this document and additional pledged in-kind support for preparation of interim and final reports and evaluations (see letter of support).
  • Letter(s) of Participation: SCAN_RCWC_HEARTS_3LettersSupport_GrantApplic_Submitted_05302019.pdf
  • Project Expenditure Budget – list detail uses of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload.
    See Budget Uploads - Please see uploaded optional budget template (from District 7570 website) and additional Excel document with detailed explanation and listing of expenditures

  • Project Funding Budget – list detail sources of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: See Budget Uploads - Please see uploaded optional budget template (from District 7570 website)
  • Budget Upload: OptionalBudgetTemplate_RCWC_HEARTS_CollabGrant_Applic_Submitted_05302019.docx, RCWC_HEARTS_2019_CollabGrant_DetailedExpenses_Submitted_05302019.xlsx
  • Primary Contact Name: Cee Ann Davis, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACOG
  • Primary Contact Rotary Position: Grants Chair Rotary Club Warren County FY 2019-2020
  • Primary Contact Email: cdblue@shentel.net
  • Primary Contact Phone: 540-664-1488 (mobile)
  • Financial Contact Name: Rob Grimm
  • Financial Contact Rotary Position: President Rotary Club Warren County FY 2019-2020
  • Financial Contact Address: 
    Rotary Club of Warren County
    P.O. Box 702
    Front Royal, VA 22630
    United States View on Map
  • Financial Contact Email: rgrimm@rgtechsolutions.com
  • Financial Contact Phone: 703-868-8115 (mobile)
  • Project Authorization Form: RCWC_HEARTS_CollaborativeGrantProjectAuthLetter_Submitted_05302019.pdf
  • Supporting Uploads: RCWC_HEARTS_DistCollabGrant_Application_FY2019_2020_Submitted_05302019.docx