AMSTERDAM and VAIL, Colo., June 1,
2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal
Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in
health technology, today announced that it will be providing
Philips HeartStart Onsite automated external defibrillators (AEDs)
to Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains
to create a cardiac arrest response system in collaboration with
Starting Hearts and medic assist. To celebrate this, a launch event
is planned for Saturday, June 2, 2018
in Vail Village.
Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Mountain will receive new Philips
HeartStart Onsite AED placements, strategically located at the base
of some of the most popular ski lifts. In addition, Starting Hearts
and Vail Ski Patrol will train all Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek employees in lifesaving skills to
provide early care when needed. Philips' collaboration with local,
national and international partners was initiated by Lynn Blake, cardiac arrest survivor and founder
of Starting Hearts, and aims to provide an advanced cardiac arrest
response system to these two destination resort ski mountain.
"Sudden cardiac arrest is the world's leading cause of
unexpected death. After surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
when I was only 27 years old due to early cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and AED intervention, I founded Starting Hearts
to share this knowledge," said Lynn
Blake, founder of Starting Hearts. "I've made it my mission
to raise awareness of SCA and the importance of CPR training and
AED prevalence in public locations to allow for quick action during
an SCA. It is encouraging that both Vail Resorts and Philips
recognize the value of our work and that they are supporting
Starting Hearts to implement this program for employees and
guests."
An SCA can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Approximately
356,000 people of all ages experience EMS-assessed out-of-hospital
non-traumatic SCA each year and nine out of 10 victims die [1].
When bystanders intervene by giving CPR and using AEDs, the
survival rates double or triple [1]. For one SCA survivor, this
collaboration has special importance, as it means providing others
with access to AEDs in the same area where his life was saved.
"While on a skip trip to Vail
in 2000, I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest at the top of the
mountain," said Lee Curtes, a SCA survivor. "Due to early
intervention from an AED and CPR from a ski patroller who jumped
into action, I've been able to see my grandchildren grow up as well
as return to Vail Mountain every year to ski with the patrollers
who helped me."
German based medic assist will provide its leading edge
technology for the first time in a major resort area in the U.S.
Their SmartLink solution is custom designed for Philips
defibrillators and provides automated daily checks of defibrillator
status; built-in accelerometer to alert of device movement; GPS
technology to track each device; and built-in two-way
communications to allow 911 dispatch to assist first responders.
Their patented Safebox cabinet provides controlled temperature and
humidity for defibrillators so that they are always ready,
regardless of extreme cold weather conditions.
"Immediate treatment during the minutes between a person's heart
stopping and the arrival of emergency responders is crucial," said
Arman Voskerchyan, Business Leader, Therapeutic Care, Philips.
"Through this collaboration with Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains, Starting
Hearts and medic assist, Philips' HeartStart Onsite AEDs will now
be available in two popular ski destinations, allowing easy access
to the technology during a critical time period to help save
lives."
"A defibrillator used in the first few minutes of a sudden
cardiac arrest can greatly increase the chance of survival," said
Brice May, Vail Mountain Ski Patrol.
"Though Ski Patrol is well trained in CPR and has access to
defibrillators across the mountain, we believe that having
additional defibrillators readily accessible in public spaces can
truly make the difference in an emergency situation."
HeartStart automated defibrillators are located in major public
places around the globe, including airports, shopping malls, sports
arenas, schools and Fortune 500 companies, making Philips AEDs more
accessible so that those in need can receive the help they need
when they need it.
The launch event for this new cardiac arrest response system
will take place on Saturday, June 2,
2018 at 10am MT in
Vail Village. To learn more about
Philips HeartStart products and survivor stories, visit
https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/articles/aed-solutions.
References
[1] About SCA, Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Foundation, January 31, 2018
For further information, please contact:
Kathy O'Reilly
Senior Group Press Officer, Philips
Tel: +1-978-221-8919
Email: kathy.oreilly@philips.com
Silvie Casanova
Philips
North America
Tel: +1 617-599-6624
Email: silvie.casanova@philips.com
Alan Himelfarb
Starting Hearts
Tel: +1 970 763-5306
Email: alan@startinghearts.org
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX:
PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving
people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health
continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis,
treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and
deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated
solutions. Headquartered in the
Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging,
image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as
well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2017
sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs
approximately 74,000 employees with sales and services in more than
100 countries. News about Philips can be found
at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About Starting Hearts
Our mission is to save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest
victims through free CPR and defibrillator education, widespread
distribution of lifesaving defibrillators everywhere in public,
activation of citizen first responders, and broad stakeholder
cooperation in the communities we serve.
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SOURCE Royal Philips