Forsyth County is continuing to take steps to implement the “4 Minute City” program into its community.
The Forsyth County Public Safety Complex hosted 30 selected individuals with first responder training or medical expertise to participate in a day of training on July 25 where they received the first of what will eventually be 300 Avive ConnectTM Automated External Defibrillators issued throughout the community.
Thanks to this training, each member of the newly formed Forsyth County 4MC Cardiac Arrest Rapid Engagement Team is now personally equipped with a device and is willing to be dispatched by Forsyth County 911 to offer cardiac arrest victims lifesaving help before EMS can arrive at a nearby emergency. This initial team of 30 will also provide feedback to help fine-tune the program before the full rollout of AEDs, which will be available to selected candidates in the community wishing to join the 4MC CARE Team, according to a press release from the county.
“This new technology has the potential to help us when cardiac arrest patients arrive at our hospital to know more about what may have happened leading to their cardiac arrest,” Dr. Jeffrey Marshall, Chief of Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, said. “Today, when these patients arrive at the hospital, we often only get a verbal report about what people think happened before EMS arrival. This new system can provide real data from these cardiac arrest emergencies before EMS arrives on scene. Our doctors are very excited and feel this is a game-changer. They believe this will definitely be another tool to help save lives.”
The 4MC program is a collaboration between Avive Solutions, Inc. and leaders in Forsyth County, including Northside Hospital Forsyth, Central EMS, Forsyth County Fire Department, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency/911 and the Forsyth County Healthcare Association, an initiative of the Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce. The program is designed to improve the survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by getting AEDs into the hands of citizens so that those who have a heart attack can be given life-saving help within four minutes when EMS cannot arrive sooner. Forsyth Country is one of the first in the country to implement the program in its communities.
“To be selected by Avive as one of the nation’s first partner communities to introduce this new, life-saving technology speaks to the character of Forsyth’s residents, businesses and medical providers and their willingness to step up to save lives. We are grateful to all partners that have been working to bring this project to life including Northside Hospital Forsyth and our incredible first responders, 911 operators and medical providers that call Forsyth home.”
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of over 350,000 people per year, according to a press release from the county. By having wide access to an AED and additional training, the county hopes to equip bystanders with the tools needed to decrease the number of lives taken.
“At Avive, we are driven every day by our mission to increase sudden cardiac arrest survival rates by combining our innovative AED and cardiac arrest response technology with a community-driven program to increase rates of bystander intervention,” Sameer Jafri, Co-Founder and CEO of Avive Solutions said. “Nearly 90% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are fatal. Our partnership with Forsyth County is an important step in cultivating a culture of response so its community is ready to step up when it matters the most to deliver early intervention and increase the chances for survival.”
Residents are invited to learn more and take part in the program at https://avive.life/forsyth/.
