DONATION MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH MEDSTAR’S “SHOCK AND SAVE INITIATIVE” 

Medstar, Michigan’s most integrated EMS and mobile healthcare provider, is pleased to award The City of Lapeer Police Department with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). 

Every minute counts when someone’s heart stops beating, and AEDs can significantly improve outcomes. The City of Lapeer Police department has taken a big step to save others by requesting a grant to receive this device. The placement was made possible by Medstar’s Shock and Save initiative, in which the EMS agency matches every dollar raised in fundraising initiatives, and provides AEDs to local government, civic, education, and non-profit organizations throughout its service area. Medstar advocates community AED placement as the most critical component of increasing cardiac arrest survival.  The AED was received by Lapeer Police Chief David Frisch and Lapeer Mayor Deborah Marquardt. 

“Increased access to AEDs in the community is essential to save cardiac arrest patients. I commend The Lapeer City Police Department for recognizing their value and efforts to acquire them,” said Kolby Miller, CEO of Medstar. “We have spent years providing funding for AED placement, and it speaks volumes about a department when it takes proactive steps to ensure it has all the necessary tools to save lives. I hope this donation will encourage other local emergency care providers to provide AEDs in their communities.” 

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. 
  • In 2021, Medstar hosted two golf outings to raise money for the AED purchases.  $80,000 was raised, and Medstar matched every dollar raised, so the organization is able to provide $160,000 of AEDs throughout its service area.
  • 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 that 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. 
  • For more information: https://www.medstarambulance.org/aed/

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

Contact

Rachel McCrary

rmccrary@medstarambulance.org

(586) 980-1043

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