Hospitals in Action >> Case Examples

SAINT VINCENT HEALTH SYSTEM - Erie, PA
Project Heart Start

What is it?
Project Heart Start makes automated external defibrillators (AEDs) readily accessible in businesses, churches, schools, emergency response vehicles, and places where people congregate throughout the community. AEDs are designed for use by first responders to the scene of a cardiac arrest before paramedics arrive. In most states, anyone with minimal training in CPR and AED operation can use an AED. Since 1999, more than 200 AEDs have been purchased and placed in sites throughout the region through Project Heart Start, which is made possible by a partnership between the Saint Vincent Heart Center and the AED manufacturer Medtronic Physio-Control and Cardiac Science. Thanks to this partnership, AED packages can be obtained through Saint Vincent at cost. In January 2005, the Erie community felt firsthand the loss of one of its own high school students to cardiac arrest during a basketball game. Since that event, Project Heart Start has been able to place over 20 AEDs in area schools. Saint Vincent health care professionals also provide training and support to the facilities as part of the program. 

Who is it for?
Everyone who lives or works in the region.

Why do they do it?
Each year, 225,000 Americans are struck by sudden cardiac arrest. Approximately 95 percent of them do not survive. Chances of survival decrease 7 to 10 percent every minute. The average emergency response time is 8 to 12 minutes. An electrical shock from a defibrillator is the single most effective way to restore a normal heart rhythm in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. Because every second counts, access to an automated external defibrillator can considerably improve survival rates.

Contact: Lora Joint
Project Heart Start Coordinator
Telephone: 814-452-7741
Email: LJoint@svhs.org