Calling it a “real gamechanger for saving lives”, The Peyton Walker Foundation (PWF) and Emergency Health Services Federation (EHSF) announced the launch of a new, innovative 4-Minute City (4MC) Program. PWF and EHSF are teaming up with Avive Solutions, Cumberland County 911 and Public Safety Agencies along with UPMC Pinnacle Foundation to implement this program, which will involve deploying a revolutionary, next-generation Automated External Defibrillator that is designed to have connectivity capabilities to 911 Call Centers, public safety agencies, and healthcare providers to improve survival rates for cardiac arrest emergencies.
In Pennsylvania, the 4 Minute City Program will first be implemented in Cumberland County. Once the initiative is fully activated, the goal is to get AEDs to the scene of a nearby cardiac arrest emergency, sooner than first responders, in hopes of saving countless lives a year.
“This initiative will have a direct impact on increasing the survival rates of cardiac arrest – sparing many families from a lifetime of heartache. Deploying several hundred of these life-saving AEDs and educating our community on how to perform CPR can certainly help lead to lives being saved. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this initiative and am so thankful for all of the partners who are supporting this. ‘Four Minute City’ is now officially part of my daughter’s legacy,” says Julie Walker, executive director of The Peyton Walker Foundation. Her daughter Peyton died of sudden cardiac arrest.
Steve Lyle, Executive Director, Emergency Health Services Federation, who is also spearheading this new program said, “I’ve been a Paramedic for a long time and have responded to countless sudden cardiac arrest patients. The ‘chain of survival’ is a real concept; however, despite well-trained medics arriving with state-of-the-art equipment, time is the enemy. The 4 Minute City initiative uses current technology to complete the chain of survival using citizens who might be next door. I am a part of this initiative because it makes sense. This is truly neighbors helping neighbors.”
While Avive’s AED is in the FDA review cycle and has not yet been approved for sale in the U.S, cities and counties have expressed great interest in adopting this solution when it’s available via Avive’s 4-Minute City Program.
“We are excited to add Cumberland County to our growing list of Partner Communities for the 4-Minute City Program,” said Sameer Jafri, Founder/CEO, Avive Solutions. “At Avive, our team strives to challenge the status quo by building innovative technologies that have an opportunity to help communities better respond to cardiac arrest emergencies – with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes.”
The Peyton Walker Foundation is spearheading fundraising efforts to fund the Program in Cumberland County. UPMC and UPMC Pinnacle Foundation are major funding partners for this Program. For more information about the 4-Minute City Program in Cumberland County – Visit www.4minutePA.org or email info [at] peytonwalker.org.
SOURCE: PennWatch