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Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs)

AED Programs Need "Champions" to be Successful

AED programs need "champions" to be successful: a parent that has lost a child to sudden cardiac arrest, an employee with a congenital heart. condition, a volunteer fire fighter or EMT who knows first-hand that AEDs save lives, or someone who is just simply passionate about the need for an AED program. A champion is the person a committee needs to convince everyone that they really should get on board. She is the one who keeps on pushing when the odds seem to be stacked against the AED program ever happening.

Funding Sources for AED Programs - Government, Private and Non-Profit

A primary goal of nearly every committee setting up and implementing an AED program is, obviously, to obtain the funding necessary to pay the estimated costs of your AED program. The simplest approach to funding - direct funding by your municipality, a government agency, or by the state (e.g., state department of public health, school department budget), or through a government grant - may be all that is needed, particularly if you are seeking to start a Community Access Defibrillation Program (CAD) serving your entire community, or a significant segment, such as the public schools.

Forming a Committee Is Critical Foundation for AED and Public Access Defibrillation Program

Starting an AED program, whether it be for a youth sports program, school, business or organization, doesn't take place in a vacuum. It requires a commitment and input from experts, widespread public support, and a committee comprised of people willing to work hard to make it a reality. In order to gain broad-based community support, the committee should be comprised of "movers and shakers" in the community, bringing to the committee different talents and perspectives, and representing different constituencies within your community.

Developing A Mission Statement and Statement of Need for Community AED Program

Once an AED committee is formed it needs to develop a mission statement which will not only help the committee stay focused by constantly reminding its members of its purpose and goals, but, by clearly stating that purpose and goals to the larger community, will help generate the broad-based community and political support an effective AED program requires. In addtion, the committee needs to draft a Statement of Need which the committee will use both as part of its checklist in developing and implementing its AED program and as a stand-alone document in its public awareness and funding campaigns.

Assessing Community Readiness for Public Access AED Program

An AED program consists of much more than buying an AED and making it accessible. A good program has widespread support, both internal (within your club, school, organization or business), and external (in the lay, medical and EMS communities) and is based on sound principles and careful planning.

Onsite Placement Of An AED Is Critical To Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death In Youth Athletes

Of the many variables that affect survivability for a person who experiences sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), one of the most important is how rapidly the AED is physically delivered to the victim's side. Indeed, few life threatening emergencies are as time sensitive as SCA. AEDs should be located within a 2-minute brisk walk of every nook and cranny of a school or to the farthest reaches of an athletic field.

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