Cigarette money used to buy defibrillators

By Sara Greene

LITTLE ROCK — By this time next year every school campus in Conway County, both public and private, will have an automated external defibrillator.

Med-Tech EMS, which is an emergency medical services company in Morrilton, bought 15 of the devices with a $22,350 grant from the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission.

Brenda Tyler, superintendent of the Wonderview School District, said it is important to have the lifesaving devices, known as AEDs, at schools, not just for students and school employees, but also visitors.

“Schools are one of the places thathas a responsibility for a large number of people for a large part of the day. Having access to this equipment is comforting to our families and staff,” Tyler said.

Wonderview has 443 students, including 33 preschoolers and 71 employees.

While some schools, like those in the South Conway County School District and Sacred Heart Catholic, already have their own AEDs, the grant means more of the devices in more locations.

Riverview Baptist Christian School Principal Sharon Atkinson said the grant is meaningful for small schools.

“It is a blessing because we wouldn’t be able to afford it otherwise,” Atkinson said.

She said the three teachers at the school already have CPR training and will receive automated external defibrillator training this week.

AEDs are used to restore normal heart rhythm to people in cardiac arrest. An AED is roughly the size of a laptop computer and usually weighs about 4 pounds. It provides voice instructions to the user and will not deliver an electric shock until it is needed. According to the American Heart Association’s Web site, for every minute that defibrillation is delayed, the victim’s survival rate decreases by approximately 10 percent.

Jennifer Blaylock, officer manager for Med-Tech EMS, wrote the grant after hearing about a grandmother who died from a heart attack during parent-teacher conferences at a school.

“It’s not every day you need one, but we wanted to help the schools get them,” Blaylock said.

Morrilton Intermediate School received the first of eight AEDs provided by the grant written by Med-Tech EMS.

“As part of the grant, each school has to have an AED policy in place, have the right number of trained personnel and have at least one Code Blue drill,” Blaylock said. Code Blue is the hospital code used for someone in cardiac arrest. During the drill the school personnel would practicethe protocols for using an AED.

Shannon Ferguson is the health resource assistant for the South Conway County School District.

“We have staff at each school trained in CPR. Of the AEDs we have, one travels with the ball team, there is one for each gym and one for the field house,” Ferguson said.

The additional AEDs will be on each school campus throughout the district. Nemo Vista and Wonderview public schools, along with Sacred Heart Catholic School, will each receive two AEDs and Riverview Baptist Christian School will receive one.

Sacred Heart Catholic School Principal Brian Bailey said the entire 24-teacher staff at the school will be trained sometime in October.

“It took a tragedy to give the awareness people have needed for years. If we save one person’s life in 20 years with these, it will all be worth it,” Bailey said.

As part of the grant Med-Tech EMS will provide free AED training to school employees. The company will also maintain records for the devices, such as maintenance and reports if the AEDs are used.

The grant was one of 13 given to organizations earlier this year with $500,000 in funding from the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Act, which specified tobacco-settlement funds should be used to improve the health of Arkansans. Other agencies received grants for everything from smoking prevention and cessation classes to diabetes education and health screenings.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 72, 77 on 10/02/2008