OSF collaborates with PulsePoint AED to enhance community preparedness

OSF HealthCare announced a collaboration with PulsePoint AED to enhance community preparedness for cardiac emergencies in La Salle, Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties.

Together, the organizations are launching a regional initiative to map and register the locations of automated external defibrillators in the region. This vital information will be shared with local dispatch centers to direct first responders and community members to AED locations in real time, making a significant difference in the outcomes of cardiac events.

In honor of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month during October, the PulsePoint Foundation is hosting a nationwide contest to encourage the public to register AEDs in spaces such as schools, businesses and gyms. Each person who registers an AED through Oct. 31 can win one of 10 $500 Amazon gift cards. Communities registering the most AEDs also will be eligible to win $5,000 worth of new AEDs, which can be used to equip public safety teams or be placed in underserved areas.

How to participate

• AEDs must be registered using the free PulsePoint AED app available on the App Store and Google Play or online at AED.new.

• Registration is easy. Provide a location and upload a photo of the AED if available. Each verified AED will be added to the PulsePoint AED Registry.

• The contest runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31. For more information about the contest and to access helpful resources, visit www.pulsepoint.org/aedcontest.

“With PulsePoint AED, we hope to raise greater awareness throughout our communities of the important role AEDs play in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival,” said Zackary VanKeulen, director of emergency services at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota. “Having an accurate AED registry in our communities can greatly improve the odds that a nearby device will be accessible during a cardiac arrest event, potentially helping to save a life.”

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the U.S., but survival rates can triple when a bystander uses a publicly available AED before emergency medical services arrive. The adoption of the PulsePoint AED registry by OSF HealthCare is crucial in ensuring that more AEDs are cataloged and accessible when needed.