VERMILION COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) - A phone app sponsored by OSF might just be the app that saves a life.
OSF just launched a PulsePoint app for Vermilion County last week.
"PulsePoint is a crowdsourcing CPR and AED app that allows people to respond to emergencies when someone needs CPR perform(ed). Essentially, when someone calls 911 (and) when dispatch puts it in the system, PulsePoint picks it up and pushes it out to people who have the app," said EMS Training Coordinator Nathan Gorman.
Gorman said minutes are crucial and this app can help.
"We always want to try to improve patient outcomes," he said.
Historically, survival rates are 10 to 12 percent nationwide.
"Applications like PulsePoint can actually receive CPR rates at about 50 to 60 percent," he added. "So it's all about survival rates."
He said the app is simple. All someone has to do is download it and it automatically finds your location.
As of now, more than 8,000 people in Champaign County have subscribed to the app. In Vermilion County, 1,000 people have just started subscribing.
