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For Immediate Release | For more information, contact: |
Owatonna Police Department donate AED to National Guard ArmoryOWATONNA, Minn 02/12/2008--The Owatonna Police Department (OPD) recently donated one of their retired automated external defibrillators (AED) to the Minnesota National Guard Armory Charlie Company.  Sgt. Jeff Okerberg, Owatonna Police Department, presents an AED to Staff Sergeant Steve Dykhuis, training noncommissioned officer for Charlie Company, Minnesota National Guard Armory; and Staff Sergeant Ben Felten, Minnesota National Guard recruiter. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) can happen anywhere, at anytime, to anyone. Studies show that early defibrillation within three to five minutes of a SCA is critical to survival. Having an AED in multiple locations within a community is important when saving lives, because seconds count. “We selected the National Guard Armory as one of the sites to receive an AED due to its location on the edge of town, the number of community events held there and the unit training assemblies they conduct for more than 100 soldiers monthly,” said Sgt. Jeff Okerberg, “It was a perfect fit.” The OPD was able to donate the previously-used AED to the Armory after receiving seven new AEDs through Owatonna Hospital’s Heart Safe Communities Project. The Heart Safe Communities initiative is an Allina Hospitals & Clinics system-wide initiative to increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest. The goal is to place AEDs in public facilities like schools, senior centers, libraries, and government buildings, as well as to provide training to help community members respond to sudden cardiac arrest. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the United States, striking more than 450,000 people a year. The most effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is an electric shock to the heart, called defibrillation. This "shock" is administered by an AED. The AED comes with voice prompts making it easy for the lay rescuer to save a life. For more information about donating to the Heart Safe Communities initiative, call 507-444-6070.
About Owatonna HospitalThe new Owatonna Hospital will be connected to the current Owatonna Clinic-Mayo Health System 26th Street location, off Interstate 35, creating a health care campus. The facility will be designed to create an environment for providing high quality, safe, patient-centered care for residents in the region. Owatonna Hospital and Allina Hospitals & Clinics are taking a leadership role to promote healthy eating and physical activity through their heart healthy living and obesity initiatives with an emphasis on childhood obesity. Over the next five years, Allina and Owatonna Hospital will be working with community organizations to improve nutrition and increase physical activity to decrease obesity and improve heart health.
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