The Iowa Heart Foundation announced it is donating an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Bar None Cowboy Church in Newton to provide a safer environment to all who use the facility.
Cindy Conroy, Iowa Heart Foundation Program Coordinator, presented Julie Brodersen, church secretary/treasurer, with the device on Jan. 5 at the church in Newton.
Cardiac arrest can strike anywhere, anytime, one of the best defenses is to make sure the community is supplied with life-saving technology and is trained in its use.
AEDs — automatic external defibrillators — are state of the art devices that when used in conjunction with effective CPR, assist in the resuscitation of a sudden cardiac arrest victim. AEDs do not require extensive medical knowledge to understand or operate.
The expertise is programmed into the device, enabling non-medical individuals to respond to cardiac emergencies.
“With every passing minute in sudden cardiac arrest, the chance of surviving decreases by about 10 percent,” Conroy said. “Increased access to AEDs can save dozens of lives each year in our community.”
For more information about the Iowa Heart Foundation AED Placement Program please call 515-633-3555.