Bemidji Police Department receives 30 AEDs from Helmsley Charitable Trust grant funding

BEMIDJI — An $18.8 million Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust grant awarded to the University of Minnesota Medical School has helped fund the purchase of 30 automated external defibrillators for the Bemidji Police Department.

The grant aims to provide law enforcement officers and first responders across Minnesota with more than 8,300 AEDs to improve cardiac arrest survival rates, a release said.

“Seconds count during a cardiac arrest,” Helmsley trustee Walter Panzirer said in the release. “We know in Minnesota first responders often have great distances to cover. This funding will ensure those who get to the scene before EMS arrives give patients a better shot at survival.”

Data from Minnesota CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) shows that 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents happen in homes, where AEDs placed in public facilities can be less effective.

Studies conducted by the American Heart Association demonstrate a dramatically higher survival rate for cardiac patients shocked by law enforcement, who are generally first on the scene, especially in rural areas, the release continued.

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

The AEDs analyze heart rhythms throughout CPR, reduce pauses and allow for improved blood circulation to increase the odds of survival.

Using Wi-Fi, the self-monitoring devices can report their status to an online data repository, allowing law enforcement agencies to know whether their devices are ready or in need of maintenance.

The information collected will also allow the Center for Resuscitation Medicine to improve response to cardiac arrest and demonstrate how swift law enforcement response gives patients a better chance of survival, the release said.

The new devices have been placed into service in all Bemidji Police Department vehicles and are available for use at all times. AEDs previously used by some agencies will be relocated throughout communities increasing the number of AEDs accessible to the public.

To date, the Helmsley Charitable Trust has invested more than $500 million to improve access to quality healthcare in rural America, $72 million of that in Minnesota.