School for At-Risk Youth Receives Lifesaving HeartSine Defibrillator

NEWTOWN, Pa. - Jan. 29, 2015 - PRLog -- Maryland Salem Children’s Trust, a nonprofit organization that provides a home, therapy, and educational services to children who have been abused or neglected, has received a HeartSine® Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in a grant program sponsored by Hopey’s Heart Foundation and supported by HeartSine Technologies.

The lifesaving donation is courtesy of Hopey’s Heart Foundation’s AED Grant Program, an initiative that supplies eligible participants with AED equipment for use during sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. SCA happens to people of all ages, including children, and is often fatal if not treated within minutes.

Maryland Salem Children's Trust came across the Grant Program while researching AEDs in an effort to further safeguard the children at their facility. “Having an AED on-hand will protect all of the children at Salem School, our educational program that educates youth who are abused, neglected, homeless, or behaviorally challenged,” says Todd Mechem, Executive Director at Maryland Salem Children’s Trust.

Well aware of the importance of having an AED readily available in the event of a cardiac emergency, staff members at Salem School were determined to apply to the Grant Program. “Having an AED here has been a desire of ours for years. Ideally, we'd like to have one in every building, but we have to start somewhere,” says Mechem.

“As an athlete, I truly understand the significance of AED use in sports and recreational activities, and I am thankful to be part of an organization that is committed to improving sports safety and raising awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest throughout the country,” says Tina Charles, WNBA player for the New York Liberty and Hopey’s Heart Foundation Founder.

HeartSine and Hopey’s Heart Foundation congratulate Maryland Salem Children’s Fund on their HeartSine samaritan® PAD 350P.

In order to apply to the AED Grant Program, applicants are required to be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization or a government entity and need to complete a 500-word application addressing their need for an AED. Since the Grant Program’s launch in 2013, Hopey’s Heart Foundation has placed 131 AEDs in 35 states across the U.S.

About SCA

Sudden cardiac arrest 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 http://heartsine.com and follow HeartSine on Facebook and Twitter.

About Hopey’s Heart Foundation

The Hopey’s Heart Foundation was founded to prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest from claiming the lives of promising student athletes like Wes Leonard. HHF was formed in memory of Tina Charles’ late aunt Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, who died of multiple organ failure on March 9th, 2013. The organization is committed to providing AEDs nationally for the prevention of heart and other injuries in student and amateur athletes through the provision of health education and medical equipment in schools, community and recreational centers. The Hopey’s Heart Foundation is committed to improving sports safety and raising awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest throughout the country.

To learn more about Hopey’s Heart Foundation and the AED Grant Program, please visit http://hopeysheart.org.