The most important treatment for a Sudden Cardiac Arrest victim is immediate CPR and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) implementation, the Brainerd Lakes Heart and Vascular Center at Essentia Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center reported.
The heart center stated its goal is to improve outcomes for sudden cardiac arrest patients by deploying and providing CPR training throughout the community through the Take Heart program.
If both CPR and AEDs are performed within the first few minutes of the cardiac arrest, the patient will have a chance at a much more positive outcome, the heart center reported.
Take Heart, through the Brainerd Lakes Heart and Vascular Center, has distributed more than 66 AEDs and trained more than 5,500 individuals in CPR in the Brainerd lakes area.
Most recently organizations in Pine River, Backus and Brainerd have benefited. Since January, Take Heart donated AEDs and CPR education to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church and Good Samaritan Assisted Living in Pine River; Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Backus; and First Lutheran Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, and Franklin Arts Center all of Brainerd.
“Having the AEDs available provides peace of mind, not just for staff, but for all the families, residents, and other guests visiting our campuses. That amounts to hundreds of people every day who are touched by this community heart-health and wellness effort”, said Mike Deuth, executive director – Good Samaritan Society Communities of Brainerd and Pine River. “Essentia Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center’s willingness to recognize a local need and then act on it shows great commitment to our community’s health and well being. Their effort to bring AEDs to the population has really ignited a spirit of teamwork when it comes to looking out for each other’s health.”
If you have an interest in obtaining an AED for your organization, contact Colette Larson, Take Heart program coordinator for the Brainerd Lakes Heart and Vascular Center at Essentia Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center 822-3961.
