Nine U.S. Schools Each Receive HeartSine AED as Winners of Heart Avengers Video Contest

NEWTOWN, Pa. - Jan. 5, 2015 - PRLog -- Nine schools across the United States each have been awarded a HeartSine® automated external defibrillator (AED) package as winners of an online video contest hosted by Parent Heart Watch (PHW).

The video contest was part of the Heart Avengers AED 2014 Grant Program, co-sponsored by HeartSine and Parent Heart Watch, which is designed to give schools in the United States the opportunity to receive a defibrillator package for use on school grounds or school buses, or during sporting events. In order to qualify, students and/or faculty members at each school were tasked with creating and uploading an online video that addressed their school’s need for an AED, the possible location(s) of the device, and how awareness would be raised for the device.

“Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the leading cause of death on school property,” says Michele Snyder, Executive Director of Parent Heart Watch, the national voice solely dedicated to protecting youth from sudden cardiac arrest and preventable sudden cardiac death. “In addition to advocating for heart screenings with an electrocardiogram, PHW wants to ensure that each and every school in the U.S. is equipped with a potentially life-saving AED.  It’s programs like Heart Avengers that enable us to educate the public in a fun way about this very serious subject matter.”

The response to the contest, which was open to K-12 public and private schools, was overwhelmingly positive. Students and faculty members across the country created innovative videos that truly recognized the importance of an AED. “Sudden Cardiac Arrest claims 250,000 to 300,000 lives per year and is the number one cause of death in young athletes, which normally occurs on school grounds,” said Kirsten, a Health Occupations student at the Eldon Career Center in Eldon, MO.

Almost all students and faculty agreed that AEDs are vital in common areas, gymnasiums, and with their sporting teams at all times. “We need an AED to travel with our athletic teams, to be readily available on the sidelines at all times, in case someone goes into Sudden Cardiac Arrest when only minutes count for survival,” said Grace, a student at Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, MA.

HeartSine and Parent Heart Watch congratulate the following nine schools that were selected to receive a HeartSine AED package:

•          Anderson County High School – Clinton, TN

•          Beech Grove High School – Beech Grove, IN

•          CIVA Charter High School – Colorado Springs, CO

•          Eldon School District – Eldon, MO

•          Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School – Devens, MA

•          Gale Ranch Middle School – San Ramon, CA

•          Immaculate Conception School – Tuckahoe, NY

•          Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies – Los Angeles, CA

•          Whittemore-Prescott High School – Whittemore, MI

A few of the winning videos from these heartsafe schools can be viewed on the HeartSine YouTube channel at: http://youtube.com/HeartSineAED.

Since the program’s inception in 2013, over 30 schools have been awarded a HeartSine AED package that includes the following: One (1) HeartSine samaritan® PAD 350P Defibrillator, one (1) Adult Pad-Pak, one (1) Pediatric Pad-Pak, one (1) wall case to house AED, one (1) three-dimensional AED wall sign, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED certification training, and Parent Heart Watch educational printed materials.

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

Sudden Cardiac Arrest happens to people of all ages, including children. It is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, causing blood to stop flowing to the brain and other vital organs.  SCA usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes.  CPR alone will not restart the heart, so the American Heart Association and ERC recommend CPR combined with early defibrillation (within three to five minutes) for the best outcome.

SCA claims more than seven million lives annually.  It occurs abruptly and without warning, with 84 percent of SCA events occurring outside of the healthcare setting.

About HeartSine Technologies

HeartSine Technologies, a world leader in personal and public access defibrillators, advances the deployment of life-saving defibrillation therapy for the treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in non-traditional areas of care.

Designed for use in public areas, the company’s entire line of Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) products leverages its proprietary, clinically advanced SCOPE technology to optimize the administration of life-saving treatment.

The company’s flagship product line, the HeartSine samaritan PAD (Public Access Defibrillator), is IP56 rated for durability and exceptional reliability to meet the unique environmental demands of public use. Its industry-leading warranty and innovative battery/electrode Pad-Pak combine to give the samaritan PAD defibrillators the lowest total cost of ownership. HeartSine is active in over 70 countries worldwide in a wide range of environments, including commercial aircraft, military and shipping facilities, manufacturing plants, offices, schools and sports clubs.

HeartSine is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Newtown, Pennsylvania. To learn how a HeartSine AED can save lives, please visit www.heartsine.com and follow HeartSine on Facebook and Twitter.

About Parent Heart Watch

Parent Heart Watch is the national voice solely dedicated to protecting youth from Sudden Cardiac Arrest and preventable Sudden Cardiac Death. Parent Heart Watch leads and empowers others by sharing information, educating, and advocating for change.

Parent Heart Watch is a publicly supported Section 501(c)(3) charity. To learn more about Parent Heart Watch, please visit www.parentheartwatch.org.