Project Heart ReStart Launches in Northern Kentucky Thanks to Combined Rotary Effort

Written By: Will Baker, Rotary Club of Florence

“There are large metropolises that have not been able to do what you guys are doing,” said Mark Peters, Vice President of Avive Solutions. “Look at some of the biggest cities, the most densely populated areas of the country, and they have not achieved an ounce of what you guys have done with your project. You have a lot to be proud of, and from the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for what you are doing.”

Avive Solutions is a manufacturer of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and thanks to a combined effort of the Rotary Clubs of Cincinnati, Covington, Falmouth, Florence, and Kenton County, an Avive AED will be going into every first responder vehicle in Boone, Kenton, Campbell, and Pendleton counties as part of Project Heart ReStart.

More than fifty community leaders, emergency responders, and media were on hand for the announcement of phase three of Project Heart ReStart at the Florence Nature Center. “This started as a Greater Cincinnati project,” said Rotary Club of Florence President Ian Addington, “but it became a Northern Kentucky project with the four Rotary clubs of Northern Kentucky coming together.” Phase one of the project began with the Rotary Club of Cincinnati in 2023. “I was driving to a Rotary meeting with my colleague,” said Rotary Club of Cincinnati member Josh Vogel. “He was getting ready to retire, and he was really excited about a project he was going to propose to the club, and it was Project Heart ReStart.”

The initiative connected with Vogel, a lifelong Campbell County resident. In September of 2003, Vogel was playing baseball when a pitch he threw struck his friend, Justin Saccone, in the chest, knocking him down. “I walked down to make sure that Justin was okay. He nodded, and I turned back to the pitcher’s mound.” Saccone got up, dusted himself off, and ran towards first base. He never made it, collapsing again along the first base line. “At that point, Justin went into cardiac arrest and died on the field. At the time, there was not an AED available for Justin, and the officer that responded to the scene did not have one either.”

Vogel said it took 13 minutes to get Saccone an AED, but by that time, it was too late. “Justin’s dad has often been asked, in the last 21 years, if an AED would have saved Justin’s life. He always says, ‘I don’t know if it would have saved Justin’s life, but at least he would have had a chance. And doesn’t everyone deserve a chance?’”

When phase three of Project Heart ReStart was announced, it was decided to move south from Cincinnati into Northern Kentucky. “I started to contact the Rotary Clubs in this community, as well as leaders of the community and different donors that we thought might be able to help,” said Vogel.

Since 2006, The Christ Hospital Health Network has trained more than 6,500 people in CPR as part of the original Heart ReStart initiative. “The Christ Hospital Health Network has been putting AEDs in community institutions for many, many years now,” said Christ Hospital Health Network President and CEO Debbie Hayes. “When [Buffalo Bills safety] Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Bengals game in 2023, the nation watched as first responders saved his life with the use of an AED. That prompted us to reach out to the Rotary Club of Cincinnati to ask how we could do better on behalf of the community and work together with our business and community leaders to make our communities safer.”

Through the project’s first two phases, nearly $500,000 has been raised, which has helped equip nearly 250 first responder vehicles in Hamilton County and the surrounding areas with AEDs.

“These members of the Cincinnati Rotary Club had a vision. They saw it through. And then they passed it on to the Rotary Clubs of Northern Kentucky,” said Michael Constantino of the Rotary Club of Kenton County. “The vision was for Rotary across the US to continue this journey to making as many cities and counties Heart Ready as possible.”

According to the Northern Kentucky Police Association, which consists of 30 agencies and four counties, there is a need for 138 AEDs to equip first responders in Northern Kentucky, which will cost $276,000. “Our goal is to deliver the Avive AED units in Northern Kentucky by the end of this year,” said Constantino. “By doing so, we will make Boone, Kenton, Campbell, and Pendleton counties the first Heart Ready counties in Kentucky.”

“The Florence Police Department is grateful to be among the first law enforcement agencies in Kentucky to participate in Project Heart ReStart,” said Florence Chief of Police Jeff Mallory. “In Florence, we’re fortunate that our EMS units are usually right behind or before us. However, that is not the case with all agencies. Research indicates that every minute of delay in using an AED can decrease the survival rate by 7% to 10%.”

According to Mark Peters of Avive Solutions, less than 5% of the time, when EMS or law enforcement arrives on the scene, there’s an AED to put on somebody having sudden cardiac arrest. “EMS may only be three minutes behind a first responder, but that three minutes is critical and could mean the difference between life and death.”

Drew Justice was attending a Hamilton County Police Officers Association meeting in July of 2024. “We were sitting around the table, talking, having fun, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. One of my friends asked if I knew what happened, and I said no.”

According to his friends, Justice slumped over the table, and CPR was administered to him for two minutes before someone was able to get an AED. “Once they hit me with that, I was up like nothing happened. I’m doing pretty good right now. Everybody tells me I was in the right place at the right time, and I was very lucky. Not everybody can be or will be in the right place at the right time, which is why it’s very important that we put these AEDs in police cars, first responder vehicles, and eventually, hopefully everywhere, because they saved my life. They should save a lot more lives if we get them out there.”

“Having AEDs available should be as common as CPR,” agreed Representative Kim Moser of Kentucky’s 64th District. “Just getting the awareness out to folks and helping them understand how easy these are to use and how lifesaving they are is critical. I’m very excited to hear of this partnership and the work of the Rotary Clubs, the police departments, and Saint Elizabeth and Christ Hospitals coming together to make this a reality for our communities.”

“No one would ever have thought you would see St. Elizabeth and Christ Hospital in the same room at the same time,” said Saint Elizabeth Health Care President and CEO Garren Colvin. “But I will tell you, COVID did one thing for sure; it brought health care together because we wouldn’t have made it alone.”

Colvin said that in 2015, his organization aimed to reduce heart-related deaths in Northern Kentucky by 25% by the end of 2025. “Let me tell you, we’re almost there, and we believe this program will get us there. Project Heart ReStart will not just help the Northern Kentucky community, but it will help your mother, your father, your friend, or your neighbor. It may just save your life.”

Colvin then announced that Saint Elizabeth Health Care would donate the first $150,000 to help launch the program. “That’s not all,” Colvin said above a round of applause, “I reached out to the president of our Foundation, and she is going to commit to raising another $150,000 from within this community. And we think the likelihood is great,” which garnered a standing ovation from the crowd.

“This is the biggest project that I know of that Rotary has been a part of, at least since I’ve been around,” said Addington. “I’m almost moved to tears by its success and the impact it’s going to have on our community.”

Every Rotary Club in the United States either begins or ends its meeting by reciting the Four-Way Pledge: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill or better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? “This project encapsulates everything Rotary stands for,” said Vogel. “It’s the magic of Rotary. You have an idea, and you have like-minded people who come together and want to support and help their community. From that, we can move mountains together.”