There are more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the U.S., and nearly 90 percent of them are fatal. The SoutheastHEALTH Ambassadors, an arm of the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation, are working to lessen that frightening statistic in our region.
Once again this year, the Ambassadors have purchased automated external defibrillators (AED), the only effective treatment for restoring a regular heart rhythm during a sudden cardiac arrest. The devices were recently awarded to 10 community organizations through an application/greatest need process. Money for the AEDs was raised through Ambassador fundraising efforts such as a red wine and chocolate pairing.
Ambassadors President Tyler Cuba said that heart health awareness and being proactive guided the decision three years ago to initiate the AED distribution program. He noted that groups receiving the AEDs will be trained on their use. “Its use is easily taught to people with no medical background. In a case of sudden cardiac arrest, using CPR and a defibrillator within five minutes equates to a survival rate of 50 percent. That truly is a lifesaving difference.”
AED recipients were the Cairo, IL, Fire Department; Cape Girardeau Elks Lodge; Christ Church of the Heartland in Cape Girardeau; Safe House for Women, Cape Girardeau; Grace Lutheran Church, Uniontown; Missouri Department of Probation and Parole, Cape Girardeau; Chaffee Fire Department; First General Baptist Church, Cape Girardeau; Emanuel United Church of Christ, Jackson; and Risen Church, Dexter.
To apply for an AED, visit https://www.sehealth.org/foundation/aed-request. Additional AEDs will be awarded in the fall of 2020. Applications are accepted now through May 31, 2020.
Pictured: Ten area organizations were awarded automated external defibrillators (AED) by the SoutheastHEALTH Foundation Ambassadors through an application/greatest need process. Representatives of those organizations along with SoutheastHEALTH representatives, are shown here.
About SoutheastHEALTH Foundation
SoutheastHEALTH Foundation, Inc. was organized in 1977 as an independent 501 (c)3 nonprofit entity to ensure the future of healthcare in our region. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is made up of individuals and volunteers from all segments of our service area. The Board oversees fund-raising projects and manages the allocation of funds in an effort to enhance service to our community.
