The Green Bay Packers and Bellin Health have rewarded 80 groups throughout Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and related training.
The team had pledged this winter to fund $100,000 to provide AEDs to eligible facilities in need, as well as training from Bellin Health, following the heart emergency suffered by Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin.
Selected groups include schools and school districts, as well as youth and recreational sports organizations, in the following counties: Barron, Brown, Calumet, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Dane, Delta (MI), Dodge, Door, Dunn, Eau Claire , Fond du Lac, Green, Iron, Jackson, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marinette, Marquette (MI), Milwaukee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Portage, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Trempealeau, Walworth , Waukesha, Wood .
Units will be distributed beginning the first week of June during National CPR and AED Awareness Week, with additional dates scheduled for June and July. Bellin Health coordinates with each beneficiary group to conduct mandatory three-hour training sessions at Lambeau Field in Green Bay in conjunction with AED unit pickup to ensure each beneficiary has representatives within their organization who are properly trained in the use of CPR and AED. Annual equipment checks will also be performed by Bellin team members to ensure all equipment is working properly.
While the Packers and Bellin Health recognize that this effort will not be able to deliver units to all locations that need them, the focus on this serves a valuable purpose in encouraging facilities to recognize the benefits of have an AED on site. This recent effort is not the only opportunity for organizations in need to obtain AEDs; a variety of grants and fundraising methods are available nationwide, including Wisconsin. For organizations seeking assistance in obtaining an AED, a list of resources can be found here.
The Packers and Bellin Health are also working together to expand access to CPR and AED training throughout the region, with plans to offer a large-scale public training opportunity at Lambeau Field in the coming months, as well as opportunities for additional training throughout the region. Additionally, the two organizations are collaborating to raise awareness of hands-only CPR, a form of CPR suitable for members of the public who have no advanced medical training or experience. Hands-only CPR can help save lives by providing initial lifesaving efforts until first responders arrive, and training can be completed in less than 10 minutes. To see a demonstration video of Hands-Only CPR, please click here.
Bellin Health currently offers AED and CPR training opportunities throughout the year. If Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula residents would like to take a course or share this training with their community or organization, please click here to learn more. Additionally, the American Red Cross offers training opportunities across the country.
Approximately 350,000 cardiac arrest events occur each year outside of hospitals, and sadly about half of these people do not get the help they need until an ambulance arrives. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, more than 10,000 people statewide are hospitalized each year after a heart attack, including nearly 400 people a year in Brown County. Additionally, data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System estimates that up to 23,000 young people nationwide are stricken with sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) each year, and the American Heart Association reports that sports-related SCA account for nearly 40% of ACS in children 18 and younger.
Additionally, the NFL, along with other major professional sports leagues, public health and patient advocacy organizations, launched the Smart Heart Sports Coalition in March to encourage all 50 states to adopt policies that will prevent fatal consequences. of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) among high profile individuals. Students.
