by Morinville News Staff
The Canadian Government and the Heart and Stroke Foundation are well on their way to installing 2000 AEDs in recreational hockey arenas across the Country.
Since Minister of Health Rona Ambrose launched the program in Legal Jan. 22, 2014, the partnership has already installed 1300 units across the country through the National AED initiative.
Thus far, 11,000 people have been trained on how to use the devices properly. The government’s goal is to have 2,000 of the life-saving devices installed in recreational hockey arenas across the country by the end of the program in March of 2016.
The government and the Heart and Stroke Foundation believe the accessibility of AEDs in recreational facilities can mean the difference between life and death in the event of a cardiac arrest. They say three lives were saved already because the equipment was in place.
Any recreational arena in Canada can apply for an AED by visiting the Heart and Stroke Foundation website. The government said funding may be available for AEDs to be installed in other high-traffic non-arena based recreational facilities once all arenas are equipped.
