AED donated to Murray Bridge Community Centre
A defibrillator located at the Edwards Square centre could someday save the life of someone in cardiac arrest.
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A defibrillator gifted to Murray Bridge’s Square Community Centre could someday save a life.
Reclink Australia donated the AED, or automated external defibrillator – used to treat people experiencing cardiac arrest – last Thursday.
It will be kept in a publicly accessible place where anyone who needs it can get to it.
That will include people participating in programs at the centre, volunteers and staff members; but also passers-by and people at businesses in the western end of Murray Bridge’s CBD.
Reclink sports coordinator Louise Scott-Wilson hoped the debibrillator would make a life-saving difference if it were ever needed.
“After three minutes (in cardiac arrest), your chances of survival go down by 10 per cent each minute, even with CPR,” she said.
“If we can get a defibrillator to someone within three minutes, it increases their chances of survival to 70%.
“This box looks pretty small, but it’s mighty.”
Chairperson Peri Strathearn, the author of this story, accepted the AED on behalf of the community centre.
The donation, worth almost $2000, was the result of a partnership between Reclink and defibrillator supplier Heart 180.
About 25,000 Australians enter cardiac arrest outside hospitals each year.
- Get help: In case of cardiac arrest, call an ambulance on 000 immediately, start CPR by pushing hard and fast in the centre of the person’s chest, and use an AED if available.
Disclosure: As mentioned in the story, the author is the chairperson of Murray Bridge Community Centre.
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