Clark County Health Department adds five community aid stations

Brooke McAfee
The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.

CLARK COUNTY — The Clark County Health Department has added five “community aid stations” to increase access to emergency medical aid in the county. The stations were installed Monday at various locations in Clark County. They include automated external defibrillators (AEDs), bleeding control kits and Narcan (naloxone) to treat narcotic overdoses. The health department used $9,730 of an $83,000 grant from the Indiana State Department of Health to fund the community aid stations.

Clark County Health Officer Dr. Eric Yazel said major trauma, heart attacks and overdoses are the three main causes of “preventable pre-hospital deaths” in the county, and many people in the community have the ability to help people in emergency situations if they have access to the proper equipment. “There’s nothing more devastating than to see someone die of a cardiac arrest knowing they would be able to get lifesaving treatment from someone just two doors down if they had the equipment they needed,” Yazel said.

The stations are located at three hotels in Jeffersonville, the Ramada Inn in Sellersburg and the Charlestown Arts and Enrichment Center.

he rest of the $83,000 grant is funding the PulsePoint app, a public health educator position with the health department and an overdose fatality review team, according to Yazel. He said the county plans to offer community trainings in emergency medical response, including education in CPR, Stop the Bleed and Narcan administration.

With the return to in-person events, there are more opportunities to provide training within the community. “We want to have a presence at all big summer and fall events and festivals to offer people training for any aspect they’re interested in,” he said. “We just hope to keep increasing the number of citizens able and willing to respond [in an emergency],” he said. “It not only helps everyone in the county, but it helps outcome from the EMS and hospital standpoint. It brings loved ones home, and that’s what we want.”

The locations of AEDs and Stop the Bleed kits are included on the PulsePoint app, Yazel said. PulsePoint is a 911-connected mobile app that alerts citizens trained in CPR and the administration of the opioid-reversing drug naloxone in the event of an emergency situation near them, allowing them to immediately respond to emergency situations where someone is in need of medical aid.

More than 100 AEDs are registered in the county on PulsePoint. Yazel said wants to continue to expand the county’s access to community aid stations, and he encourages community partners to reach out to the health department if they are interested in adding a station.

 ___ 

(c)2021 The Evening News and The Tribune (Jeffersonville, Ind.)