SoutheastHEALTH Ambassadors donates AEDs to local organizations

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - The SoutheastHEALTH Ambassadors recently awarded automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to 11 community organizations to help treat sudden cardiac arrest.

According to a release from SoutheastHEALTH, money for the AEDs was raised through Ambassador events. The community organizations received the devices through an application process.

AED recipients this year include:

Aging Matters- Cape Girardeau
Boy Scout Troop 311 - Jackson
Leopold Knights of Columbus
Marquand Zion R-VI
North Cape County Fire Department - Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge R-6 School District
Oran Youth Sports
St. Paul Lutheran Church and School - Jackson
St. Joseph School - Scott City
Williamsville AA Senior Centers
YMCA of SEMO - Sikeston

The devices were given out at a luncheon held in the Hirsch Community Room at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. SoutheastHEALTH says groups receiving the AEDs will be trained on their use.

Brian Sutterer, a sports medicine physician with Southeast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, was a guest speaker at the luncheon. He says that sudden cardiac arrest does not just affect older people, and that AED accessibility in public settings is crucial.

“More and more children are experiencing cardiac arrest due to sports injuries that also involve other high levels of activity, excessive energy drink consumption, environmental factors and more,” Sutterer said.

Ambassadors President Amanda Baert says heart health awareness, a key component of the Ambassadors’ mission, guided the decision to initiate the AED program in 2016.

“Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone. Most of these incidents, some 350,000 occur out of the hospital setting, and nearly 90 percent of them are fatal,” Baert said. “But if a defibrillator is used within five minutes, the survival rate increases to 50 percent. AEDs are truly lifesavers.”

Since the program began, 53 AEDs have been awarded.

To apply for an AED, click here. To learn more about donating an AED, visit sehfoundation.org/AED-donation.