AED and CPR

When someone’s heart suddenly stops beating, every minute without defibrillation and CPR lowers the chance of survival by nearly 10%. When a bystander uses an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) on a person in cardiac arrest, their likelihood of survival doubles. Medstar recognizes community AED placement as the most important component of increasing cardiac arrest survival throughout its nine-county service area.  

Medstar has provided mini-grants to purchase AEDs for local civic, educational, and religious facilities for the past eight years and is now inviting the community to support the program’s expansion. The Medstar Shock and Save Initiative is designed to:

  • Measurably increase cardiac arrest survival throughout Medstar’s emergency service area
  • Increase AED access and utilization
  • Increase CPR and AED training
  • Support community leaders in local efforts to increase cardiac arrest survival and expand community CPR/AED training and AED ordinances

“Developing a community AED program is the most impactful effort a community can pursue to affect survival from cardiac arrest. The more AEDs we can get into the community, the more lives will be saved,” said Kolby Miller, Medstar CEO. “We have provided funding for community AED placement for several years. With the new Shock and Save Initiative, we invite our healthcare, community, and business partners to join us in providing even more AEDs throughout the region.”To kick off the Shock and Save Initiative, Medstar is hosting two golf outings:

Funds raised will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Medstar and will go toward purchasing and distributing AEDs in Medstar’s service area. 

  • September 10 at 10 am — Sugarbush Golf Club, 1 Sugarbush Drive, Davison 
  • September 13 at 10 am — Selfridge Golf Club, 27857 S Perimeter Rd, Harrison Twp

For registration and sponsorship information, visit www.medstarambulance.org/aedgolf. And visit www.medstarambulance.org/aed to learn more about this life-saving initiative.

Fast Facts 

  • Since 2015, Medstar has donated AEDs to schools, churches, and other nonprofit and civic organizations and trained over 1,900 people in CPR free of charge.
  • Only 10% of people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive. However, their survival chances double if a bystander uses an AED before first responders arrive.
  • A recent study found investing in AEDs was the most effective way to improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates. A $1 million investment translates into more than a hundred lives saved. 
  • Michigan provides legal immunity to people who use AEDs or provide CPR to patients in cardiac arrest.

About Medstar

Medstar is Michigan’s largest 911 EMS and mobile healthcare provider, serving more than 190,000 patients annually throughout lower Michigan. Created in 1993 by two local hospitals committed to quality EMS, the nonprofit agency now serves communities in nine counties, as well as providing critical care, air medical, and interfacility clinical transportation for Ascension-Michigan, Henry Ford Health System, and the McLaren Healthcare Corporation. For more information, visit www.medstarambulance.org. 

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Contact
Anne Hein
ahein@medstarambulance.org 
586-980-1043

Posted in News Release

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