RURAL AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR PROGRAM

PROGRAM HISTORY/DEVELOPMENT

The Rural Access to Emergency Devices (AED) grant program was initiated by the Office of Rural Health Policy of the Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services in 2002 to respond to a demonstrated need for early defibrillation in incidents of cardiac arrest in the nations’ most rural areas. Nationwide, EMS response times are approximately 8-12 minutes in urban areas. In rural and frontier areas response times are typically longer, and can be significantly so in our most remote regions. At 8 minutes after episode a victim’s chance of surviving the episode is approximately 20%, and decreases to virtually zero at 10 minutes. Knowing that rapid defibrillation is the key to saving lives, and that EMS response times exceed this critical time period in rural and frontier areas, federal funding was provided to states to deploy AEDs and provide this life-saving technology.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Nevada was awarded a grant in the initial pilot year of 2002, and has been continuously funded since. The current three-year award represents one of only four projects funded nationwide, and demonstrates the success we have had in implementing our program. The new three-year project has changed focus to become part of the Nevada Project Heartbeat, a larger initiative to implement public access defibrillation programs in rural and frontier Nevada. Training on AED and CPR is provided by program staff, State EMS staff, and in some cases by participant agencies themselves.

 PROGRAM STATISTICS AND OUTCOME MEASURES

• Program to-date has reached 63 individual communities in 16 counties in addition to statewide placements such as Wildlife Division officers.
• 513 units placed to-date.
• Program to-date has reached 15 tribes/reservations and placed 66 units in these locations.
• Placed 102 units with law enforcement throughout the state (exclusive of tribal law enforcement), including police and sheriff’s offices in 6 counties and 10 agencies.
• Placement sites include schools, senior centers, clinics and hospitals, fire and EMS agencies, public pools, mines, casinos, youth centers, libraries, churches, retail, and city and county buildings.
• Documented trainings of more than 800 people, including both public aypersons and first responders (first responders include fire, EMS, and police.) Trainings include both AED and CPR and follow American Heart Association and/or American Red Cross curriculums.
• Newly formed Nevada Project Heartbeat, a collaboration of the Nevada State Office of Rural Health, the Nevada State Health Division EMS Office, Cardiac Science Inc, REMSA and Humboldt General Hospital, was established to develop, promote, and implement public access defibrillation programs in rural and frontier Nevada through the partnership of ORH, State EMS, and Cardiac Science in the initial four years of the RAED program. Federal RAED funding now supports the purchase of AEDs for dissemination within the larger integrated Nevada Project Heartbeat program.
• Over 5 years, the program has used 94.3% ($666,636) of total funding ($706,931) for direct purchase of AEDs.

For more information on this program and to apply for AEDs for your rural community, please contact:

For information on AED/CPR training for your community please contact: