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Thanks to donations from anonymous individuals, corporations, and foundations, an estimated 100,000 AED packages valued at $3,000 can be purchased by schools for as little as $750.
"A major goal of this program is to increase awareness of the important role AEDs can play in saving lives of both adults and children in schools and their surrounding communities," emphasizes Marty Johnson, president of the safety products company sponsoring the grants program. "Not enough people realize that survival rates for the more than 300,000 individuals in the U.S. who experience sudden cardiac arrest can be increased significantly when an AED is used instead of, or in conjunction with, CPR."
Neighborhood Heart Watch readers know that survival rates are over 90 percent when an AED is used within one minute of SCA onset, compared to approximately 10 percent when only CPR is used.
Safety Services Network, based in Portland, Oregon, announced the program at an issues forum on AEDs in schools sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh's National Center for Early Defibrillation (NCED).
"The benefits of school-site AED programs extend well beyond the safety of SCA victims, because they expose students to both CPR and AED education and introduce them to lifesaving equipment at a young age," explains NCED executive director Mary Newman. "Doing so will hopefully result in a new generation of adults ready and willing to assist in emergency situations."
To be eligible for the reduced-cost AEDs, schools agree to raise an initial $750. Grant funds will cover some or all of the balance, depending on its district's percentage of participation. Each AED package includes one ZOLL AED Plus, one set of pads, batteries, wall cabinet, training, and shipping.
"Ease-of-use was a major consideration in selecting the ZOLL AED Plus," Mr. Johnson notes. The device--manufactured by ZOLL Medical Corporation--utilizes a one-piece preconnected electrode instead of the more commonly used two electrodes and is powered by everyday lithium batteries.
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