BEMIDJI — During a recent board meeting, the Beltrami County Historical Society received a donation of an automated external defibrillator from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.
The donation was made possible as a result of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Trust grant awarded to the University of Minnesota Medical School to help fund the purchase of 41 automated external defibrillators for the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office in February, a release said.
An automated external defibrillator, or AED, is a lightweight, portable device that delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart to treat cardiac arrest. Studies suggest that survival from cardiac arrest greatly increases when bystanders use an AED.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, almost 17% of all deaths in Minnesota are due to heart disease.
Prior to the donation from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, the historical society did not have an AED on the premises.
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“While we recognized the importance of making a defibrillator available at the History Center in case of emergencies, they are cost prohibitive,” Executive Director Emily Thabes said in the release. “We are grateful for the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office partnership ensuring the ongoing safety of our volunteers and visitors.”
As part of their agreement with the sheriff’s office to assume responsibility for the AED, historical society staff, board members and volunteers completed AED training with Holly Bannor, an American Heart Association Instructor with Bemidji State University, at the March board meeting.
Participants learned how an automated external defibrillator operates and watched a demonstration of the device in action on a training mannequin, the release said.
The Trust Project
