AED's in schools

[goldenbo]

Does anyone know of a website that provides the necessary "encouragment" for high school administrators to see the need for AED's in their schools?

I would like to present a packet of articles as well as the kit for the schools.

Thank you to anyone who can help in this area.

Karen Beggs

[Reenie]

I don't know but I bet Sharon Bates can help. Where do you live?

Reenie

[goldenbo]

Thank you, Reenie,

I live in Bergen County, NJ. However, contacting Sharon through e-mail would also be fine. Do you know how I would get in touch with her?

Thank you,
Karen

[Reenie]

Sure. Her email is smbates@cox.net.

Reenie

[AngelAlie27]

Karen, I have just received 10 AED's for the schools in the county in which I live. Because of HCM in my family, I chose to focus on Sudden Death in Student Athletes for my Senior project. I raised $13,200.00 to purchase the AED's. Several sites I used were: 1. Anthony Bates Foundation; 2. MomsTeams.com, (Brooke de Lench was helpful in getting the AED's through Defibtech); 3. Gregory W. Moyer Defibrillation Fund; 4. The Chad Foundation for Athletes and Artists; and 5. this site with Lisa Salberg. There is some interesting articles and statistics on any of these sites for you to use. Good Luck!!

Cynthia Patterson

[SharonBates]

Great job, Cynthia! Once again I take my hat off to you! Today I mailed you a new AED and carrying case! It's just one, but it may be the one that will be used to save a young boy or girl. It gets me all excited when I think of the great work we are all doing through our contacts at HCMA! Thank you Lisa for having the vision to build such a support system. We are (I am) so very grateful for everything you unselfishly do for all of us.

Hello Karen,
I hope I can help you get AED's in your area schools, too. Interesting topic for me. Tomorrow I will be meeting with the superintendent of one of the Phoenix area school districts. We will be discussing heart screenings for the young people in high school and how to go about future funding for more AED's in their schools.

Please get in touch with me on the message board or through email or pm's. We can open up more conversations (threads) to this subject. There is a lot of support here on ways to help you (or anyone) make some progress and take action on AED's in our schools. When we work together, the mountains will move and the miracles will occur!

It's going to be a new day for all of us!
Blessings,
Sharon

[Lisa Salberg]

http://www.early-defib.org/

They have tons of information!

PROMPT DEFIB is many times the ONLY chance to save an HCM pt. I want them to be as common as fire exstiguishers!!!!

Keep up the fight!

Lisa

[Reenie]

Cynthia, I'm sorry I didn't think of you sooner. Thanks for answering. :)

Reenie

[goldenbo]

Thank you to all of you. I was able to "push" the school the tiny bit it needed for them to agree to purchase AED's for my son's school. There were many in the position of authority who were already convinced they were necessary, so it made it just that much easier.

I am going to visit all the websites you mentioned. I apologize for the delay in posting as I've been working long hours for the last 3 days. This is the first time I've been able to get online.

Cynthia, I met you at the conference and appreciate your insight. You are an amazing young woman.

Sharon - I will be e-mailing you as soon as possible.

Besides my work commitment, my computer is acting up big time, and I can't consistently get online.

Take care all,
Karen

[Lisa Salberg]

All over the news today!! Newark NJ school system will add about 150 AED's for the new school year!!!

YEH NEWARK - Way to GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lisa

[Burton Borrok]

Yeah Lisa,
That’s great news – 150 AED’s – absolutely marvelous. But do they have three people who know how and when to use those 150 machines? I still remember that poor young girl dieing at the pool while all the tech’s fumbled around. Those 150 AED’s are a wonderful step forward, but it’s just so much hardware if there isn’t sufficient staff fully trained in the how and when to use it.

Sorry to be throwing ice water on such a warm subject but without all the pieces, people still die. Call me a curmudgeon if you wish, but I can’t ignore the basic concept that we are trying to save lives – not just collect hardware. We need the whole package.
Burt

[Reenie]

Burt, I'm sure that nobody will overlook the fact that they need trained personnel to use these machines. Baby steps.

Reenie

[goldenbo]

I believe the schools are required to follow a specific protocol - doctor's supervision, training of staff, etc. One of the docs where I work is the overseeing physician for her town's AEDs.

[Burton Borrok]

From your mouths to G-d’s ear. I truly hope that every unit has a trained staff behind it. If you recall, the pool at which that girl died had a ‘trained’ tech right there, and eight minutes later an ambulance arrived with more EMT’s on board – and yet I believe seventeen or eighteen minutes passed before the unit was first used. Things just have to be better then that. I would prefer those units were never needed, but in the event one is, it is needed desperately, and the tech must respond rapidly and properly. That requires more then a lecture and the reading of a book for most people. You say the units will be under the supervision of a doctor – I wonder how many times that overseeing physician has used an AED himself, and how well he can pass along the needed expertise.

I’m sure many people have fought long and hard to get these units in the first place. We can’t now afford to have the support personnel be half fast in their use. Lives are at stake here. Remember Mary’s comments about how little training the EMT’s in her area got in the use of AED’s? I guess I’m just a worrywart. Please forgive me my concerns.
Burt

[Linda]

Burt, you have a valid concern. However, if we never get the AED's out there, how will anyone ever become comfortable and proficient with them? Consider how many different models there are now. Who knows for sure when they train on one model that it will be the model they have to use in their real life area? The more we see them, the more they will be talked about, the more they will be recognized when seen in their place of storage, etc. The ground rules are pretty well in place before the equipment is placed, - who responds, within what time frame, training, etc. It's true that the first time user will likely not be as adept as the person who's done it 100 times, but then, didn't we all have our first time as a new driver, or any other piece of equipment or technology. We'll get there, one step at a time. Linda

[SharonBates]

Training is definitely part of the protocol when AED's are implemented in any location: airport, business, city buildings and yes where educators reside - schools. Just because the AED is purchased does not mean that they are ready for use...training, awareness, education and involvement of the entire community is part of the protocol.

If we look at fire extinquishers as a good example of the steps required. Not everyone knows how to use a fire extinquisher, or would have the slightest idea of the over all process. There are many models on the market, too. But we are aware of their existance, their purpose and that one is needed if we smell smoke or see a fire. They were build with the lay person in mind - simple instructions and little effort required to operate.

AED's have been built that way too. There are many models on the market. They too are improved upon as time goes on. According to several brands, "simple enough for an 8 year old to use without formal training." It's not to say that an 8 year old is expected to use an AED, but in desperate times, we would hope for the better out come.

I am happy to hear about the AED's in Newark! What a great move on the districts part to prevent Sudden Cardiac Death in their hallway's, play grounds and at all their events. I wait to hear of their saves!

Sharon

[Lisa Salberg]

DITTO to what Sharon said!

[goldenbo]

No - you're not a worry wart - you are a realist... That is absolutely horrible about the girl you mention.

You asked about the doc I mentioned in my previous post. In this case, the physician they are using is an board certified emergency medicine physician - employed by two major hospitals as a pediatric ER doc. I do not know if she has ever actually used an AED - AEDs are not used in most ERs. Defibillators in the ERs are not automated. However, she is also a certified instructor for many emergency courses.

In this particular case, she is more than qualified. However, your point is a good one... I believe any physician who is put into that position should be qualified by training to be in that position in the first place.

What you describe happening at the pool should never have happened. The AED is designed to be user-friendly - voice prompts, pictures, etc. It sounds like there was a chain of panicked responses.... incredibly tragic...

It seems like NJ's laws (and perhaps every other state, but I'm just beginning to become familiar with NJ) address the training of staff who might have to use it. There seems to be an accountability factor that is designed to eliminate tragedies.

I hope I didn't ramble too much...

Karen

[AngelAlie27]

Anyone out there looking to buy AED's need to look at two web sites. One is MomsTeam.com with Brooke de Lench and the other is Teams of Angels. There is a nationwide campaign called (and I might be only close to the actual name of the campaign)=="Save a Child's Life---An AED for Every Sport". They are getting excellent prices through Defibtech on a defibrillator when purchased for a school system. Get in touch with Brooke de Lench at Moms Team and she will be glad to help you. Also, Sharon, Fed Ex came by today, we weren't home, and they wouldn't leave the AED. Mom will wait all day for it tomorrow. Thank you so much. I have been able to buy 11, yours will make 12----and to think that my goal was only 6. I've been able to double my efforts and I'm not stopping there. We are working next to get something on the local hospital show and a local radio show. Now we just have to get teachers, custodians, coaches, etc. trained and we will be all set. Praying we never have to use one of them!! I'll keep everyone informed as I have more to report. Thanks for evrything, all of you.
Cynthia

[AngelAlie27]

Hi everyone, I received an email from Brooke deLench from MomsTeam. She ask me to remind everyone to go to www.momsteam.com and read the article about the campaign called, "Save a child's life--an AED for every team." The campaign is explained and what you can do to purchase AED's. She ask me to let you know that MomsTeam.com has a Defibtech distributorship, much like someone would have a Jeep distributionship. MomsTeam buys the AED's at cost and is free to mark them up if they choose to do so. In order to make them available to more people, they sell the AED's for "cost" plus a small fee for shipping and handling. There are grants you can apply for. Please go the website and you will be guided through the process. Again, the site is www.momsteam.com/alpha/press/important_message.shtml.

Thanks,

Cynthia P.

[Pam Alexson]

Great info Cynthia, Thanks for all you do. You are making a difference in a very big way.

Best to you .
Pam

[Georgie Brewster, RN]

Thank you so much Cynthia for your tip on MomsTeam.com. You are so right--they are amazing and it is very obvious to me that they are more interested in getting these AEDs out to all the schools and sports teams than taking a profit.

The now (Dec. 1) have a HUGE group buying offer for only $999. for the really neat (I now have them in my schools and they are really neat). The sale saved me about $600 each.


Georgie Brewster, RN :D

[Burton Borrok]

Dear Georgie,
While your message is important, and I can readily understand your enthusiasm, I can see that you are not a regular visitor to our boards. Hopefully, once you see how closely our interests lie, you will become a constant reader and contributor to the site. You are absolutely welcome here.

I do have one request though. Our Cynthia P. (AngelAlie27) had told us all about her meeting with Brooke deLench from MomsTeam.com and the wonderful discount they offer on AED’s, back in October. Your comment on that thread was quite appropriate, but frankly to repeat yourself a total of six times was a bit over the top. Once would have been quite sufficient, since almost to a member we read all the posts – and although some choose not to comment, they do gather information and support from the postings.

By all means please continue to read and offer comments to our board, but try to control your enthusiasm to one post of the information you wish to present.

Thanks, and I hope you become a regular here. You obviously have a lot to offer.
Burt

[Lisa Salberg]

Georgie,

Thanks for your recent posts. I see you have met Burt.

Your contributions are appreciated and welcomed. Thank you for the information on the link. It is unfortunate that members of our community have run into some problems with the organization you have mentioned. It is our hope that they will honor the agreements made in the past and we can all move forward.

Best wishes,
Lisa

[Georgie Brewster, RN]

Hello Lisa, (and Burt)

You have a marvelous site!!! (and I can not get over those little faces). I found you a few weeks ago after student lost his dad to HCM. I did a search and you came up. I should have found you two years ago when we had two children in our district (within 3 months) die from heart situations while playing sports. The first place that we turned was the internet and way back in 2002 we found the MomsTeam site and found it to be wonderful.

Then tragedy struck this fall-this time a dad of a sophomore wrestler (HCM). His team mates pooled their money to put an AED in the school in his name. They asked me to help. I went back on line ( to your site and google)and noticed that the MomsTeam group is doing a group buy. I spoke to Christina Langford on the desk and she said that the founders made the decision to sell them for about $5 over just to get them out to the schools. She said it is not their main business so they don't need to profit from the sales. I could not complain. I put the order in last week and got them yesterday--I guess I feel like a little kid (funny I am 62) at Christamas--we saved a bundle and I felt like all of you might want to know. I did not know where I needed to put my story so I put it where I thought it could be seen.

By the by, if it helps at all-I have learned from my years in the medical field (25 in the ER of a local hospital-20 here as a school RN) that there are some very good people out there--sometimes the ones who do the best are the ones who get dumped on the most and the skeptics try to tarnish them. Christina did say that the company had recently changed their policy -instead of charging more and making donations directly to a few small groups of charities they found it was more helpful to give the deeper discounts to everyone--that way there would be no hurt feelings and jealousies from some of the charities who were looking for money without helping.

I will check in often and will make sure that my nursing jouranals know all about the good community of folks you have.

Keep up the great work,

Georgie :D :D :D

[Burton Borrok]

Hi Georgie,
It’s good to see you took my post in the friendly way it was intended, and are continuing to post to the site. I’m sure you have much to offer us here.

I’m quite encouraged hearing about all the AED’s being placed in the schools particularly, plus all the other sites around town. But on the other hand I am also concerned that the devise will sit unused while someone dies. We have had such reports here from time to time.

Recently there was the case reported of a sixteen year old girl that collapsed and died at a pool that had two AED’s on the property, plus a tech that was supposedly trained in its use. About eight minutes later the emergency vehicle arrived with a staff of techs on board, but unfortunately they didn’t spring into action until the girl was beyond saving. A member who is a volunteer EMT told us that the staff in her town gets very little training in the use of AED’s – and I’m afraid it is rather a pervasive problem.

I thought it would be a good idea to have a training class at the beginning of each semester on the use of AED’s - by all the athletes at least, - but hopefully the entire gym class. That way, if someone freezes in an emergency there would be a lot of other students around who would know what to do and how to do it. I think that would go a long way in maximizing the potential of saving lives – the bottom line of this whole exercise.

Having been an RN for so long and a school nurse for the past twenty years, I would be very interested in hearing your views on this subject. (By the way, I’ve got you by a decade.) Well my new found friend, have a very happy holiday season, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Burt

[goldenbo]

Hi Burt,

I've been a pediatric nurse for 20 years. I purchased an AED for our home after my husband was diagnosed with HCM and my kids became at risk.

I strongly "encouraged" my son's high school to purchase an AED. They purchased two about 4-5 weeks ago. I received an e-mail today stating they had just placed an order for the third - this one to travel with the athletic teams.

However, I have worried about the exact point you make. I know my son's soccer coach is medically trained. He is certified in BLS, ACLS, PALS, etc., and has to pass competencies for his job as head of radiology at a local hospital. But, he's only one of several coaches, and only one of many staff. The staff have all undergone training.

I completely love your idea. Not only is it great for the potential life-saving efforts, it is just a great tool to teach kids! I am going to pass along your idea to my son's school.

Thanks for the idea!

[Burton Borrok]

Dear Goldenbo,
Somewhere in the Jewish teachings it is written that if you save one life it is as if you saved the whole world. A number of years ago I had the good fortune, along with my brother-in-law to save a woman from drowning in the Potomac River. I have never gotten over how fortunate an experience that was, and best of all, we escaped without anyone finding out who we were - one of the higher forms of giving.

I also think of the play quite a number of years ago called, “A Majority of One” not so much for the story line but for its meaning. One person can make a world of difference if they work at it hard enough. If you present the idea to the school board they may or may not accept it, but if they do not, don’t give up. You can enlist the aid of religious leaders, gym teachers (they do not want students dropping dead on them), parents, students, doctors, cardiologists, nurses, EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians), hospitals, etc. etc.

Be a Majority of One. Remember, if you save one life it is as if you have saved the whole world. I can tell you from experience, the joy of the deed lasts a lifetime. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if there were thousands of you out there making sure that every life that can be saved - is saved? I think you have chosen a wonderful thing to do – especially during this holiday season. I wish you much joy and happiness.
Burt

[goldenbo]

Thanks, Burt. I wish you a wonderful holiday season as well.

[goldenbo]

Hi Burt,

Do you have any information on the drowning incident you referred to? I would like to submit that along with my request that the school train students, all staff, coaches, etc. in the proper use of an AED.

Thank you!

Karen

[Burton Borrok]

Hi Karen,
It was not a drowning incident. If I remember correctly she was on a platform with a girlfriend waiting their turn to go off the diving board when she collapsed. The terrible details - and following comments were posted on these boards not all that long ago. I tried to find it for you, but I’m kind of rushed and couldn’t come up with it.

If anybody reading this knows the thread it was on, by all means please let us know so we all can review it again. It was a tragedy, but contained important information that we all should remain aware of.

Whoever finds it and posts the info - - thank you very much,
Burt

[Toogoofy317]

You are looking for the trend on Sarah Friend. It is a very sad story indeed.

Mary S.

[Burton Borrok]

Thank you Mary,
I should have known you’d come through on this.

Love,
Grandpa