KDMC awards AEDs, celebrates heart month

Feb. 22—BELLEFONTE — King's Daughters Health Foundation and King's Daughters Auxiliary presented 25 automated external defibrillators to community organizations and agencies in eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio.

Dozens of people appeared Thursday in the King's Daughters Pavilion for two events commemorating hearth month. During the events, visitors had the chance to tour a mega colon, receive education on CPR and AEDs, and have a cholesterol/blood screening conducted.

"Not only have the AEDs saved lives, they have also given first-responders and residents an added measure of comfort knowing that if something should happen, an AED will be accessible," Laura Patrick, Health Foundation Director, said.

Tracy Crawford, nurse at King's Daughters Medical Center, administered a demonstration on how to perform CPR and use an AED.

"If you have a loved one that becomes unresponsive, of course you want to call 911 first, then try and shake them and, if they don't respond, have someone go get an AED. I encourage people to know where the AED is located at your work," she said.

When conducting CPR, Crawford said, "use the base of your hand, right on the breast bone between the nipple line, put hand over hand, lock your elbows over time and push down, hard and fast."

There are "plenty of songs," she said, people can sing in your head while performing CPR to stay on a beat.

"'Staying Alive' is a good one," she said. "If you like Johnny Cash, 'Walk The Line' is another good one, or Shakira, 'Hips Don't Lie.'"

She said, once the AED arrives, someone should continue chest compressions. open it up and turn it on, the pads are marked where they go and it's really easy.

"When you push down you are pushing blood to the brain and you have to make sure you lift up to put blood back in the heart to push it back out," she said.

Crawford expressed the significance of having AEDs ready to use and said education on the devices is essential in saving one's life.

"If the patient goes down and someone starts chest compressions right away in the use of an AED, they are more than likely to survive and walk out of the hospital," Crawford said. "We see more saves in the emergency department with people who have had CPR from bystanders and use of an AED."

Jody Archer, KDMC business development manager, gave tours of the walk-thru colon and said awareness surrounding the human colon is essential education for everyone, considering colon cancer is one of the "leading cancers" in our area.

"If we can treat it early, it's very treatable," she said.

"This is what the inside of your colon looks like. When we do colonoscopies, we see polyps; they are very easy to move at early stages. If we can take care of polyps at the first stage before they move to the next, we can take good care of you," Archer said.

AEDs are medical devices that can deliver an electrical shock to an individual suffering from sudden cardiac arrest. According to KDMC, only about 10% of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting survive.

An AED Roundup is planned for two dates at 2432 Carter Ave. in Ashland. The first one will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, March 28, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 19. KDMC officials said these dates will serve as a place for AEDs to have batteries, adult pads and the machine looked at to ensure the device is functioning properly.

"AEDs can be expensive and purchasing one just isn't in the budget for many rural or volunteer organizations," Patrick said. All recipients received a case, adult and pediatric pads, batteries and a training kit on how to use the device.

The 2024 recipients are as follows: Ashland Independent Schools, Ashland Tennis Center, Heritage FWB Church, Holy Family Catholic School, Safe Harbor, Hitchins Free Will Baptist Church, Greenup County School District, Fallsburg Volunteer Fire department, Louisa Fire Department, Johnson Central High School, Middle Fork Volunteer Fire Department, Salyersville Volunteer Fire Department, Webbville Volunteer Fire Department, West Liberty Police, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension, Wurtland Church of the Nazarene, Wurtland Middle School, Coal Grove Fire Department, Rock Hill School District, Elizabeth Township Volunteer Fire Department, Access Scioto County Public Transit, Beulah Baptist Church, Aid Township Volunteer Fire Company and Windsor Volunteer Fire Department.

This event was the sixth year of the AEDs for our Communities Program.

(606) 326-2657 — ajohnson@dailyindependent.com