Residents from the Town of Perth as well as workers from the local branch of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario have a real reason to smile, as a brand new AED, or Automated External Defibrillator was deployed for patients a few weeks ago.
The deployment of this medical device was made possible by the help and donations of Canadian organizations such as the Heart & Stroke Restart a Heart, the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund, and Transamerica Life Canada. The deployment of the new AED means that Perth now has a total of 14 machines which are under the Lanark County PAD program.
According to statistics released by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, over 40,000 Canadians suffer from sudden heart attacks every year, most of which take place at home, at work, or at public locations. For every minute the patient is unattended to, his or her chances of living are reduced by 10 percent.
David Sculthorp, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, hopes that AEDs become common one day, used in even the most remote places in Canada. Only through the help of the community, volunteers, and sponsors like Transamerica Life Canada can this become possible, he added.
