Industry leading golf and country club program adds CardioReady® Certification option to its accident prevention program
West Chester, Pa. – November 11, 2008 –Venture Insurance Programs (www.ventureprograms.com), a national program administrator and leader in the design and underwriting of select industry-focused insurance packages, today announced that its Preferred Club Program® is partnering with CR Certification corporation (“CardioReady”), the leading provider of independent auditing and certification of cardiac emergency readiness programs. The Preferred Club Program® with CardioReady® certification assures a best practice cardiac emergency readiness plan is in place at the golf and country clubs it insures.
The CardioReady® Certification program is available to golf and country clubs exclusively through the
Preferred Club Program. CardioReady® gives golf and country clubs standards and guidelines for dealing effectively with a sudden cardiac emergency. The certification process incorporates the American Heart Association’s automated external defibrillator (AED) program recommendations and includes an assessment of the facility, purchase, installation, implementation, training and maintenance of AEDs.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 335,000 deaths occur each year as a result of
sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The chances of survival increase from less than 5 percent to more than 70
percent if an AED is used within 3-5 minutes of collapse.
“Anyone who has lost someone to sudden cardiac arrest understands the importance of AEDs in saving
lives,” said Philip J. Harvey, president of Venture Insurance Programs. “We’re proud to partner with
CardioReady® to address this preventable loss of life while further improving patron safety at golf and
country clubs – a focus of the Preferred Club Program since we began in 1994.”
Golf and country clubs that are insured through the Preferred Club Program® receive a Cardio Readiness Assessment which includes best practice recommendations in order to obtain CardioReady Certification for the clubhouse and the course. CardioReady provides options to purchase needed AEDs as well as the installation, training, maintenance and oversight as well as certification.
“Given the demographics of club members and the fact that sudden cardiac arrest can happen without
symptoms or warning, a timely response provided by a CardioReady Certified program can mean the
difference between life or death to the members and guests,” said Nat Brinn, president of CardioReady®. “CardioReady® assures the golf and country clubs meet the guidelines of the American Heart Association and prevailing laws are followed in the event of a cardiac emergency, as well as eligibility for “Good Samaritan” protection in current legislation.
Additional benefits of the CardioReady® Certification include:
- Logo identification that a facility is ready to respond to cardiac emergencies posted to the
CardioReady® web site as well as the club’s web site and informational materials. - Assuring compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements
- Reducing exposure to potential liability for failure to provide an AED program consistent with
best practices, guidelines, statutes and regulations - Annual review for re-certification and assurance that facilities remain “rescue ready”
- Providing facility risk and safety professionals a set of standards to support recommendations for
best practices management
About Venture Programs
Venture Insurance Programs (www.ventureprograms.com) is a leading program administrator that designs, underwrites and distributes industry-specific insurance packages including the Preferred Club Program (www.preferredclub.com). Based in West Chester, Pa., Venture has underwriting alliances with the world’s leading carrier groups, including Chubb, CNA, Fireman’s Fund, The Hartford, OneBeacon, RSUI, Travelers, USLI, Zurich North America and Lloyd’s of London. Founded in 1993, Venture provides specialty insurance packages for select vertical industries-including golf and country clubs, golf destination resorts, technology and biotechnology companies, hotels, restaurants, and marine-related risks.
About CardioReady Certification Corporation
CR Certification Corporation (“CardioReady”), in collaboration with the American Heart Association, works with industry-leading entities in the markets it serves to reduce death from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) through the education, certification, and promotion of the proper implementation and usage of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). CardioReady is a Federally registered certification mark owned by CR Certification Corporation, and the company is an exclusive licensee of AED Patent Holdings, LLC. For additional information, go to www.cardioready.com / info@cardioready.com.
For more information on the Preferred Club Program, contact Michael DeMarco at 800-523-2788 ext 265, or visit www.preferredclub.com.
