WAHPETON, ND and BRECKINRIDGE, MN--Groups from both sides of the border will be receiving valuable medical equipment thanks to a grant through St. Francis Healthcare Campus in Breckenridge, Minn.
Juli Mauch, Foundation director at St. Francis, said in total, the grant was worth $596,000 and will be used to provide automated external defibrillators or AEDs (a device used to help people who are experiencing cardiac arrest) to agencies in high traffic areas that may be a sizable distance from a hospital. St. Francis will receive a portion of the grant, as will other hospitals in the Catholic Health Initiative in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Twenty civic and service groups will be receiving AEDs through St. Francis. These groups range from city halls and fire departments, to schools and Sheriff’s offices in both Richland and Wilkin counties.
The grant was applied through a collaborative effort between St. Francis Healthcare and other hospitals throughout the Catholic Health Initiative in North Dakota and Minnesota.
The grant, which Mauch said came at the federal level, will be implemented by St. Francis to entities in both Wilkin and Richland counties during the next three years. Six AEDs will be distributed in this first year, and 22 in second and third years for a total of 50.
“This will narrow the response time of people needing to use that device. This will help in the survival of people needing an AED,” Mauch said.
“It was a collaborative effort, we had discussed with the entities in Richland and Wilkin and asked if they were interested and they were,” said Mauch.
The planning process for St. Francis and the Catholic Health Initiatitive began in June. According to a press release, the grant in both states overall will reach “30 counties, 18,200 square miles 181,000 residents.”
“It’s helping the overall general health of our community and increases the likelihood of survival,” Mauch said. “It helps everyone.”
SOURCE: Daily News