Wayne Hospital

Even though there’s a foot of snow on the ground, a few people were thinking baseball recently. Greenville Citizens Baseball League is the latest recipient of an AED through the Wayne Hospital Foundation and Midmark.

Midmark and the Hospital Foundation have joined forces to make AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) available to non-profits in Darke County and Union City, IN.

The Wayne Hospital Foundation and Midmark have each pledged $5,000 per year for five years in grant money to use as matching funds for AEDs to be placed in public buildings throughout the county. This is the second year of the program.

AEDs save lives, according to Ken Kurz, Executive Director of the Wayne Hospital Foundation.

“The current national survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is less than five percent,” Kurz said. “The likelihood of successful resuscitation decreases by about 10 % with every minute that passes. An additional 40,000 lives could be saved each year in the U.S. with widespread access to AEDs.”

Midmark and the Hospital Foundation are providing money on a two-for-one matching grant program. That would mean up to 10 AEDs can be placed in Darke County each year. The AEDs are Phillips HeartStart OnSite models valued at more than $1,900 each.

According to Kurz, there are several requirements for groups to place an AED in a public area.

“There must be training of people within the facility in both CPR and how to use an AED,” he said. “Spirit Medical Transport has offered to provide the training free of charge to those groups who participate in the program.”

“Spirit Medical Transport is a big reason this program is up and running,” Kurz said. “They have many staff members who can train our AED recipients on CPR and how to properly use an AED.”

There are extra supplies that are also needed and that will push the price of the entire AED program to around $1500.

“Still, groups will be able to purchase a complete AED system for less than $500 when they utilize this program,” Eiting said.

All 501-C-3 non-profits are eligible to apply for the AED grants. Preference will be given to units that would be placed in areas or buildings where large numbers of people congregate. The goal of the organizations is to spread the AEDs throughout Darke County as well.

“We want all of the area to benefit from this program,” Kurz said. “We think that by offering an AED to an organization or a school for less than $500 is a community benefit and we’ll possibly be saving lives.”

Any non-profit group interested in the program should contact Kurz at 547-5959 or email him at ken.kurz@waynehospital.com.