Gilroy school campuses will soon have heart defibrillators to assist when a child or adult has a heart failure and quick action can save a life.
Thirty automatic external defibrillators (AED) will be placed in schools and other district facilities and staff will be trained in their use, the Gilroy Unified School District announced Monday.
GUSD partnered with the Gilroy Fire Department for the AED program, part of a City of Gilroy effort aimed at becoming a HEARTSafe community, according to GUSD spokeswoman Rachel Zlotziver.
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs in about 6,000 children per year in the United States. Of those, 750 happen during sports activities, according to Zlotziver. Survival depends on early recognition, early CPR and early defibrillation. For every minute defibrillation is delayed, the odds of survival decrease by 10 percent, she said in a GUSD press release.
“HEARTSafe is a public health initiative intended to help more people survive after sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest,” Zlotziver said.
“When someone’s heart suddenly stops, they will generally not survive unless a number of interventions take place immediately, including CPR and defibrillation. As part of the HEARTSafe community program, the city is working to place AEDs in multiple locations throughout the community, including school sites, with a goal of having one AED per every thousand residents,” she added.
The district ordered the AEDs and expects they will be installed in facilities over the summer, according to Zlotziver. Staff training will happen during the first three weeks of August, she said.
At the GFD, Jim Wyatt of the Emergency Medical Services Division said that, nationally, the survival rate for those who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting is “a dismal” six percent.
“Our goal is to change this rate by becoming a HEARTSafe Community through public awareness and education, lay person CPR and AED training, encouraging and partnering with our local business and nonprofit community to obtain AEDs, and working with our local hospitals and County EMS agency to provide the best pre-hospital delivery possible,” he said.
Nationally, AEDs used by lay people make a big difference, according to statistics provided by Wyatt, including the following:
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Chances of survival increase nearly three times if a bystander uses an AED.
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Communities with comprehensive AED programs that include CPR and AED training for lay rescuers have achieved survival rates of nearly 40 percent.
GUSD will purchase 30 defibrillators that are compatible with fire department EKG monitors. GFD staff will help place the machines, start the program and provide training and annual refresher courses to staff, according to Zlotziver.
“I am very excited about this partnership,” said schools Superintendent Debbie Flores. “While at one time AEDs were extremely cumbersome and difficult for school staff to operate, technology has advanced to the point where the equipment now available to us is easy to use, automatically diagnosing the heart rhythm and determining if a shock is needed. Employing these new AEDs on our campuses will enable staff to respond quickly if a child or adult is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest,” she said.
One AED will be placed at each elementary school, two at each middle school and three at each comprehensive high school, including to athletic staffs. They also will be put in the district office and at other GUSD sites, according to Zlotziver.
