First-responder teams will be trained in each building to operate the lifesaving devices
By Melanie Creamer
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
Copyright 2007 Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Amanda Rowe, the nurse coordinator for Portland public schools and a nurse at Hall School, is leading an effort to raise $50,000 to place automated external defibrillators in the city’s 18 public schools.
During a cardiac arrest, pads are placed on the individual’s chest. The automated external defibrillator uses voice and text prompts to direct the rescuer. When used, its sends a weak electric current to the heart to shock it back to normal rhythm.
Under the effort planned by Rowe, each school would have a first responder emergency team trained in CPR and first aid as well as in how to use a defibrillator. The school nurses will lead the training and hold a mock exercise each year, Rowe said.
If the AED is used quickly after the arrest, it can be quite successful, Rowe said.
Currently, there are four AEDs in Portland schools. Rowe said 30 units are needed to cover the schools adequately.
“You need to be able to get to the site within three minutes of where the cardiac arrest took place,” Rowe said. “We are looking at this as a safety issue for students, staff and adults.”
Rowe said there are schools, such as Portland High School, that have three floors and many wings, and would need one defibrillator on each floor. The devices would likely be placed near the gymnasium, auditorium, and main office at the schools, she said.
In her 20 years as a school nurse, Rowe has seen three cardiac arrests. Several years ago, a staff member had a heart attack and survived. A music teacher collapsed after a concert and survived. A student at King Middle School, who had a heart condition, did not survive.
“The way we could be most prepared is having a team and an AED at our fingertips,” Rowe said. “This is not only for the students, it’s for the whole community. What is one life worth? If it saves one life, we’ve got our $50,000 worth.”
The cost of an AED is roughly $2,500. The school department is purchasing them through Cardiac Science Corp., headquartered near Seattle, Wash., for $1,500, Rowe said. Her goal is to have one unit in every school by the end of the year, and add units to the larger schools as they can, Rowe said.
She is encouraging schools to hold fundraisers and is reaching out to the community for financial support. Hall School will be selling paper hearts for $1 and $5 to raise money, Rowe said.
“We are committed to getting it done in the Portland schools,” she said.
During a School Committee meeting earlier this month, Ted Rioux, a sales manager with Cardiac Science, donated an AED to East End Community School.
Another AED was donated by Phil Napolitano, of Portland, who had a cardiac arrest while playing basketball at Yarmouth Middle School and survived after being treated with an AED at the school.
The Joseph Foundation, based in Belfast, also donated an AED in memory of Joseph DiPrete-DiGioia, a 14-year-old from Belfast who died during a cross country race.