KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Today, King County Executive Ron Sims joined with Public Health - Seattle & King County in announcing the installation of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at ten Public Health Centers. AEDs can be used by trained staff and untrained persons to restore a normal heart rhythm in someone who has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
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| King County Executive Ron Sims |
Placement of AEDs at Public Health Centers is another step in the efforts of the Community Responder CPR-AED Program, lead by Public Health - Seattle & King County, to expand public access to AEDs in Seattle and King County. "This effort will further enhance King County's stellar record as one of the best places in the world to survive a sudden cardiac arrest," said Executive Sims. "More than 1,100 people receive medical care at the ten centers every day, making them ideal locations for these lifesaving devices.
"For nearly 40 years, CPR by medical staff and trained lay rescuers has been responsible for a significant improvement in the survival of victims of cardiac arrest. The addition of automatic defibrillators throughout our county, and now at our Public Health Centers, is an important step in increasing survival rates even further," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director for Public Health - Seattle & King County.
The AEDs will be located at ten Public Health Centers throughout King County. Five of the ten clinics already have their AEDs set up and staff trained in the operation of the device. These clinics include the Northshore, North Seattle, Eastgate, Federal Way and Auburn Public Health Centers. By the end of October 2003, the remaining five clinics will have their AEDs installed and staff trained. Those clinics include the White Center, Columbia, Downtown Seattle, Kent Teen Clinic and Renton Public Health Centers.
"The placement of AEDs in our clinics adds to the family planning, immunization and primary care services we already provide to our clients. It helps to better prepare our clinics to be first responders and to achieve our goal of improving the outcomes of sudden cardiac arrest," said Dr. Charissa Fotinos, Medical Director, Community Health Services Division of Public Health - Seattle & King County.
More about the CPR-AED Program
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| Dr. Mickey Eisenberg |
The goal of the Community Responder CPR-AED Program is to improve survival from sudden cardiac death in Seattle-King County by reducing the time to defibrillation by having community responders use an automated external defibrillator.Research in Seattle and King County and elsewhere in the U.S. has demonstrated that defibrillation is the single most important medical intervention when a cardiac arrest occurs. The result of a 4-year community-wide experience from Seattle and King County showed that half of 50 cases treated by public access defibrillation survived to be discharged from the hospital.
"We're pleased to have the Public Health Centers join a growing list of community partners who are placing AED devices where they can be used by employees and the general public," said Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, Medical Program Director, Emergency Medical Services Division of Public Health -- Seattle & King County. "The evidence is clear: providing early access to defibrillation further increases the odds of survival from sudden cardiac arrest."Currently, there are 735 automatic external defibrillators throughout Seattle and King County, up from 474 in 2002.
Information on Public Health's Community Responder CPR-AED Program.
Locations and services provided at Public Health Centers in King County.
Providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County works for safer and healthier communities for everyone, every day. |
