I don’t know about other parents or teachers but I find this article and research (published by Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association January 2010) annoying.
It is an article on how schools that don’t have funding perhaps should not worry about not being able to fund an AED because the chances of getting a return on the equipment are not proven. Here is some of the content:
“A nationwide push to put portable defibrillators in every school, a response to several high-profile student deaths, may not be worth the cost, a new study in Seattle concludes. The survey of emergency response to schools in the Seattle area over 16 years found that students suffered cardiac arrests only 12 times and a third of these children had known heart problems.” The article then goes on to say, “According to the study, schools are one of the best places for adults to suffer cardiac arrest.”
Protecting the teachers does not matter nor does it matter if I or family member will suffer a heart attack while watching my child participate in a school sporting event? Â What if you are a parent that has one of those kids with a known heart problem or the 1 unfortunate unknown heart problem that year?
Figure out how to buy the AED. There are ways to fund them. The facts are that Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the biggest killer in America, killing around 300,000 people per year. If an AED is not used within 2-4 minutes the chances of survival go from 65-70% to 5%.
Are you ready to be champion for AEDs at your school and help your PTO raise money? Go to Think Safe’s GivingTree for easy online fundraising or download this or visit the website of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association and download this paper on how you can become a champion for AEDs at your school.