Cannon County Receives Life-Saving Defibrillators



Cannon County Receives Life-Saving Defibrillators

Receiving the AEDs are L to R: Adam Britt (Zoll), Mike Gannon (Cannon County Executive), Connie Rigsby (Director of Cannon County Senior Center), Audrey Smith (Saint Thomas Chest Pain Network) and Ricky Cope (Cannon County EMS Director).
Cannon County was recently given two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) as a result of a $100,000 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant given to the Saint Thomas Chest Pain Network by the United States Department of Health and Human Services for the placement of full-rescue AEDs in rural communities.

An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically detects potentially life-threatening heart problems that require a shock to reestablish an effective rhythm. AEDs tell the rescuer when a shock is needed and how to give a shock– simple and easy. If used within a few minutes of administering CPR, there is a good chance of saving the life of someone whose heart has stopped.

“Saint Thomas Health Services is proud to partner with Cannon County EMS which will allow us to further meet the needs of the Cannon County community,” said Ranee Curtis, Director of the Saint Thomas Chest Pain Network. “For the next year, the Chest Pain Network will be working with Cannon County EMS to provide education on life-saving techniques. Our goal is to improve the care and outcome for cardiac patients, particularly in rural communities that have previously had little-to-no access to a defibrillator.”

The AEDs will benefit all residents of Cannon County. During the next few weeks, members of the Chest Pain Network worked in collaboration with the Cannon County EMS team and Zoll Medical Corp, the AED equipment manufacturers to identify the best locations for placement of the devices. The devices will be placed at the Senior Center and the County Administrative building.

“Our community is so fortunate to be one of the fourteen recipients of these devices and we are so grateful to the Chest Pain Network for their generosity,” said Ricky Cope, Director of Cannon County EMS. “Being in a rural community many miles from some of the larger medical centers, it is crucial for us to learn how to operate an AED as well as perform CPR in order to save the life and improve the outcomes of someone with cardiac arrest.”

For more information about the Saint Thomas Chest Pain Network, please visit www.sths.com/chestpain.