What started off as a simple request for a price quote has turned into the donation to Atmore Area YMCA of a piece of vital life-saving equipment.
YMCA CEO Paul Chason said the team at Tennessee-based Cardio Partners contacted the Y to better understand the request. After several conversations between the company, recognized as a national leader in emergency prevention and an ardent advocate in the fight against Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and the YMCA, Cardio Partners chose to donate an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the local non-profit.
An AED is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to try and restore a normal rhythm to a heart that is not beating normally. AEDs are used to treat sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.
“What a fantastic way to start our week,” Chason said. “Thanks to the exceptional actions of staff members and managers at Cardio Partners, Atmore Area YMCA now has an automated external defibrillator, a wall-mounted storage cabinet and the required accessories.”
Eric Sellari, a cardio account specialist with the medical supply company, said the donation was based upon recognition by local Y officials of the importance of CPR and AEDs.
“You have a need to support your patrons, and we would like to support your amazing organization,” Sellari said.
Atmore YMCA’s membership is approximately 36 percent senior citizens who exercise in the fitness center, weight room and active seniors classes, and in group fitness classes. The Y’s staff is trained in CPR, to include AED skills, but the organization did not have an AED for rapid support.