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Little
Rock -- At a
press conference today on the Capitol steps, Arkansas
Department of Health Director Fay Boozman announced that the
Arkansas Rural Automated External Defibrillators Coalition
will distribute 172 lifesaving
devices to communities across the state.
These devices will be used to help heart attack victims
when no other medical assistance is available.
Dr. Boozman said, “Even with advanced technology and
superb physician and nursing staffs in hospitals nationwide,
approximately 250,000 Americans die each year from coronary
heart disease without being hospitalized.
The use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) by
EMS staff, firefighters and others can change this statistic
for the better. The
Arkansas Rural AED Coalition is thrilled to be able to provide
these valuable life-saving devices to deserving
communities.”
According
to the American Heart Association, approximately 680 Americans
each day are heart attack victims who die without receiving
hospital care. Use
of a defibrillation device in the first few minutes after a
heart attack can give a patient a 48 to 74 percent chance of
survival.
Representative
Preston Scroggin of Vilonia, a strong proponent of the device,
said, “To help answer the need for life-saving devices in
our state, the Arkansas Department of Health partnered with
several health associations and applied for a grant from the
Health Resources and Services Administration to buy 172
defibrillators. The
HRSA awarded the Department $240,000 to purchase the 172 AEDs.
These kinds of partnerships are what federal agencies
look for in awarding grants.
They want to see the public, private and non-profit
sectors working together to meet Arkansas’ needs.”
The
Arkansas Rural AED Coalition is composed of membership from
the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, the
Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the Amublance
Association, and the Offices of EMS and Trauma, Rural
Health/Primary Health, Cardiovascular Health and Hometown
Health Improvement of the Arkansas Department of Health.
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