WINCHESTER, VA--Our Health (OH) has been awarded a grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), through the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Grant Program. OH is facilitating this grant with Shenandoah Memorial Hospital (SMH) to serve four counties covering two states; Shenandoah and Page County, Virginia and Hardy and Hampshire County, West Virginia, to place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in rural areas. Stacey Iden with Our Health has coordinated with Tracey McLaurin, Executive Director of Lord Fairfax EMS Council, to connect appropriate contacts within each locality for strategic placement of 36 AED units.
This grant allows OH to connect with rural communities, offering an opportunity to improve cardiac arrest survival rates through the use of AEDs combined with education and outreach efforts to promote heart health. In addition to placing the AEDs in locations that are most beneficial for the community, training will be provided to ensure maximum use.
Iden believes this grant is substantial for these communities. She says, “This project is rewarding, because lives can be saved. Our Health is fortunate to collaborate with many partners and initiatives, but this grant allows us to impact lives directly.”