Sudbury Northern Life
Every minute that passes without help after a person goes into cardiac arrest decreases the person's chance of survival by about 10 per cent, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
With 7,000 cardiac arrests occurring in a year in Ontario alone, Sudbury is taking proactive steps to give its citizens a fighting chance.
On Thursday, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario announced that 12 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) will be installed in nine libraries and three citizen service centres across the city by the end of January 2009.
These are in addition to the 20 units that have already been granted to the city through the Heart and Stroke's Restart A Heart, Restart a Life campaign.
“These units will be placed in public places in Greater Sudbury to help improve the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest,” said John Binks, community mission specialist for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “Far too many Canadians die each year from sudden cardiac arrest in public places, in the workplace or at home.”
Using an AED, combined with CPR, within the first few minutes can improve survival rates by 50 per cent or more.
“(Eight to 10) personnel have received training, and this means we'll all have a greater peace of mind,” said Jennifer Amyotte, chief of professional standards for Greater Sudbury. “Having the knowledge and equipment can truly make a difference, as every second counts.
“As paramedics, when we come into a call and we see the public doing CPR, and utilizing a defibrillator, it lifts our hearts because we know that we have a better opportunity of a positive outcome for that loved one.”
The AEDs were purchased through a $500,000 donation from Scotiabank to the Heart and Stroke Restart a Heart, Restart a Life campaign, along with a donation from Zoll Canada, the makers of the AEDs.
The initial goal of the Restart A Heart, Restart a Life campaign was to place 1,000 units across Ontario. In May 2008, due to successful fundraising efforts, the Foundation announced 2,000 AEDs had been allocated to municipalities across the province.
The allocation was based on local need, response times, cardiac survival rates and local readiness to support a Public Access Defibrillator program.
“(We) are looking forward to the day when it will be hard to imagine a time when there was not a readily available AED in high traffic, public spaces,” Binks said. “When they are as commonplace as fire extinguishers, and when many more people know CPR to help save a life, we have reached our goal.”
