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The Ida County Healthcare Coalition, consisting of Horn
Memorial Hospital, Ida County Public Health, and the Ida County Emergency
Manager, presented the AEDs to the Sherriff’s Department last week.
Present in the photo back row: Fred Anderson, Kirk Kinnaman, and Ed Sohm Front Row: Sheriff Wade Harriman,
Jo Hayes and Chris Nichols |
The Ida County Healthcare Coalition recently donated nine
automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the Ida County Sheriff’s
Department. Dr. Curtis Hesse, a
physician employed by Horn Memorial Hospital and the Medical Director for the
Ida Grove Ambulance, was familiar with a similar program in other counties and
recognized that the Sheriff and deputies are often the first responders on the scene
where use of an AED can mean the difference between life and death.
Dr. Hesse approached Horn Memorial to ask if funding was available
to provide AEDs for the Sheriff’s Department.
The hospital pursued this idea and, through the Ida County Healthcare
Coalition, was able to designate money from a State grant for Hospital and
Public Health Preparedness to purchase the AEDs. The grant money made it possible to purchase
nine (9) brand new AEDs totaling just under $14,000.
Chris Nichols, Horn Memorial Hospital CEO, stated, “This
donation reflects great coordination and cooperation across the various
healthcare entities in our county. It started with a question by our own
Dr. Hesse, and ended with a solution that benefits all parties, mainly the
residents of Ida County. I’m glad that
the hospital could play a role to facilitate this positive step in the health
of our communities.”
According to the American
Heart Association, 23% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are
"shockable" arrhythmias, or those that respond to a shock from an
AED, making AEDs in public places highly valuable. The use of an AED can increase the chance of
surviving a sudden cardiac arrest by 70%.
Communities with comprehensive AED programs that include CPR and AED
training for rescuers have achieved survival rates of nearly 40% for cardiac
arrest victims.
Sheriff Harriman commented, “These AEDs will allow our
deputies, who many times are the first on the scene, to more quickly address
the needs of a cardiac patient. I want to
thank the Ida County Healthcare Coalition for applying for the grant that
allowed the Sheriff’s Office to receive AEDs to put in all of our patrol
vehicles.”
