City of San Diego Project Heart Beat
Diego Project Heart Beat is the City of San Diego's Public Access Defibrillation/CPR Program managed by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Project Heart Beat has one main goal: to save lives through early defibrillation. San Diego Project Heart Beat's objective is to make Automated External Defibrillators (AED) as accessible as fire extinguishers throughout our community.
Partners in San Diego Project Heart Beat are San Diego Fire Fighters Local 145, the County of San Diego, the American Heart Association and AED Brands, LLC.
AED Advocate Karen McElliott has lived in San Diego since April of 1972. She attended Colorado State University and has served on and chaired various organizations and task forces within her community focusing on health, education, and land use issues. Karen McElliott was appointed to the Division of Medical Quality in 1992 by Governor Pete Wilson, Karen served as President of the Division of Medical Quality from 1993 to 1995. She served as Secretary, Vice President, and President of the Medical Board of California from 1996-2000. She is a former public member of the California Board of Podiatric Medicine where she served as President in 1991
Maureen O'Connor PAD Program Manager/Emergency Medical Technician
Maureen O’Connor has been in the field of emergency services for over twenty-five years. Most recently she acts as the Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) Program Manager for San Diego Project Heart Beat (SDPHB). SDPHB is one of our nation’s first defibrillation programs to offer such a unique opportunity for public and private venture. SDPHB was recognized by the National Center for Early Defibrillation (NCED) as best Large Community Program of the year in October of 2003. SDPHB received the 2009 Heart Safe Community Award PAD Program, Large Community from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association’s 2009 SCAA Public Service Award. Maureen takes great pride in her involvement with the development of this internationally recognized program since its inception in 2001.