Cumberland County, PA joins the 4 Minute City™ Program!

We are thrilled to announce Cumberland County, Pennsylvania as our next Partner Community in our 4 Minute City (4MC) Program! The program aims to increase survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest through data-driven widespread placement of hundreds of Avive Connect AEDs™ (Automated External Defibrillators) across the county, with the goal of offering cardiac arrest victims access to lifesaving help well before EMS arrives on scene. 

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is when the heart unexpectedly stops beating and pumping blood effectively throughout the body.  According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, there were more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA’s) in the U.S. in 2020 — nearly 90% of them fatal. Almost 40% of OHCAs were witnessed by a layperson who may not have had a life-saving AED available. Cardiac arrest can affect anyone anywhere, at any time– killing men and women, young and old. While high-quality CPR buys time, only a shock from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can restore a person’s heartbeat and save their life. Because a person’s chance of survival drops about 7-10% every minute they are in cardiac arrest, immediate bystander intervention with an AED is required to meaningfully save lives. Cumberland County alone averages over 150 OHCAs each year. 

Avive’s Connect AEDs have the potential to help get AEDs where they are needed, when they are needed, and share the right data at the right time with public safety and healthcare provider stakeholders that play a key role in the chain of survival. In addition to the incorporation of cutting-edge technology, the 4MC Program focuses on cultivating a culture of response to cardiac emergencies in partner communities like Cumberland County through free training and educational resources so that everyone is prepared to save a life. 

In collaboration with Emergency Health Services Federation (EHSF), Cumberland County 911, Penn State Life Lion EMS, Cumberland Goodwill EMS, Lower Allen Township EMS, and other EMS and Public Safety Agencies throughout the County, Cumberland County will join Jackson, TN as one of the first communities in the United States to implement the 4 Minute City Program. 

The 4 Minute City Program aims to create a community where an AED is utilized on someone in cardiac arrest well before first responders arrive on scene – ideally within 4 minutes of a call being made to 911. Avive’s technology is designed to enable a seamless integration of Avive Connect AEDs with 911 centers to provide telecommunicators with an opportunity to get an AED to someone in cardiac arrest more quickly and often. The Avive Connect AED can also share invaluable data from the emergency with public safety and healthcare providers in an effort to support downstream care.

Education and training campaigns from The Peyton Walker Foundation and local public safety agencies will help develop a culture of response to empower citizens with the knowledge and tools to step up and help save a life when it counts the most. 

“This initiative will have a direct impact on increasing the survival rates of cardiac arrest – sparing many families from a lifetime of heartache. Deploying several hundred of these lifesaving AEDs and educating our community on how to perform CPR will lead to lives being saved. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this initiative and am so thankful for all of the partners who are supporting this. The 4-Minute City Program is now officially part of my daughter’s legacy. There will be at least one family – one mom, one dad, sister, or brother – who will NOT lose their child or sibling because one of these AEDs is going to save their loved one. That’s enough for me. That’s why I do this. One.“

-Julie Walker, Executive Director, The Peyton Walker Foundation, and mother of Peyton, whose young life was cut short due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. 

Sameer Jafri, President and CEO, Avive and Julie Walker, Executive Director, The Peyton Walker Foundation

Check out some of the buzz over our recent launch!

• https://pennwatch.org/new-life-saving-program-for-cardiac-arrest-emergencies-launched-in-cumberland-county/
• https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/02/cumberland-county-becomes-one-of-first-places-in-us-to-embrace-new-way-to-prevent-sudden-death.html
• https://www.fox43.com/article/news/health/next-generation-aed-helps-save-lives-health/521-6b88d70d-7cb7-4656-b23d-cc7a6abef273
• https://cumberlink.com/news/local/new-initiative-brings-aeds-cpr-education-to-cumberland-county/article_c22f5eee-351d-54e0-9367-eafcb12f84ac.html
• https://pennwatch.org/new-life-saving-program-for-cardiac-arrest-emergencies-launched-in-cumberland-county/

Learn more and get involved: www.4MinutePA.org 

If you are interested in learning more about the 4 Minute City Program and if Avive’s connected platform solution could be a good fit for your City or County, you can: 

• Visit this page (https://avive.life/4-minute-city/) and fill out the form