Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield joins the American Heart Association in engaging companies in Greater New Haven to create a community of lifesavers
According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die, and more than half don’t receive bystander CPR. CPR — especially if performed immediately — can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To help improve cardiac arrest outcomes in Greater New Haven, Brent Mulberry, vice president of commercial markets for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut, will chairthe 2026 Greater New Haven Heart Walk, leading the effort to rally companies and community members to raise critical funds and expand CPR education.
Heart Walk is the largest community-facing initiative of the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. Through fundraising, community education and corporate engagement, Heart Walk aims to make CPR education and training more accessible, fund vital research and drive equitable health for all. Under Mulberry’s leadership, top executives in New Haven will work to recruit other organizations to join the local Heart Walk campaign and build a community of lifesavers.
“Eight words changed my life seven years ago: ‘Your heart’s in distress, we’ve called an ambulance,’” said Mulberry. “Cardiac events can happen to anyone, often without warning, and not everyone is as fortunate as I was. Through the Heart Walk, we’re working to create a community of lifesavers – individuals who are prepared and confident to act when every second counts. Join us to support better heart health on October 17.”
With the support of Anthem as the Extraordinary Beats Playlist sponsor Heart Walk, every participant and every dollar raised will help fuel vital research, expand Hands-Only CPR training and create more lifesaving moments across New Haven communities and beyond.
According to the Heart Association’s 2024 CPR Perceptions Survey, 39% of people — or approximately 103 million U.S. adults — now feel “extremely confident” or “very confident” they could correctly perform CPR, up from 33% in 2021. That is roughly 17.7 million more adults who are highly confident in their ability to conduct CPR, yet 61% still lack high confidence to act in a cardiac emergency.
“We’re incredibly proud of the strides made in recent years, but there is still important work ahead,” said Adria Giordano, American Heart Association Connecticut executive director. “Brent’s dedication to building a safer, stronger New Haven community makes him an ideal fit for this role. We are excited to see the impact of this year’s Heart Walk campaign to help make it a success.”
The Heart Association is a global leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and the official publisher of CPR guidelines. Through the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, the Association is working to ensure that more people are ready to perform CPR and be a vital link in the chain of survival, supporting its goal of doubling the survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by 2030.
The Greater New Haven Heart Walk will take place on Saturday, October 17, at Light House Point in New Haven. An estimated 1,000 participants are expected to walk in celebration of local survivors and the lifesaving progress made in the community. Companies interested in participating can contact local Heart Walk Director, Chelsea DeGroat at Chelsea.degroat@heart.org or to register visit www.newhavenheartwalk.org.