Leading by Example:

Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force dedicates new Automated External Defibrillator in N.C. Legislative Building

When a person has a sudden heart attack resulting in cardiac arrest, quick action can mean the difference between life and death. A defibrillator, in the hands of a trained person, can correct a chaotically beating heart and help keep a person alive until emergency medical help gets there. Yet, most public buildings do not have that equipment or people trained to use it.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in North Carolina. So, in an effort to raise awareness of the need for such equipment and training, North Carolina’s Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force dedicated a publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in May for use in the N.C. Legislative Building, which attracts thousands of visitors a year. The Task Force partners with the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Branch of the N.C. Division of Public Health to combat cardiovascular disease.

By making this AED available and visible, the Task Force wanted to set an example for private industry, county and state-level worksites and other facilities that have large numbers of employees and visitors. The hope is that the number of publicly accessible AEDs will increase in public buildings and workplaces, and that more people will become trained in the use of the AED to restore normal heartbeat and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to keep oxygen going to a victim’s brain until help arrives.

It is a good policy for all able employees to be trained in CPR and AED use. AED and CPR training certifications are good for two years, and then re-certification is required. The training is usually done by instructors certified by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.

Senator William Purcell, chair of the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force, said, “To reduce the burden of heart disease in our state, we have to approach the problem in a multifaceted way. One approach is to increase emergency response capacity. Integration of three components—public AEDs, trained volunteer responders in public places, and a county’s EMS response plan—is one strategy to help reduce death and disability resulting from heart disease.”

For more information on cardiovascular disease and prevention, visit the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Branch’s Start With Your Heart website at www.startwithyourheart.com.

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Last Modified: July 12, 2006