County Begins Initial AED Program Rollout

On Tuesday, July 25, Forsyth County took another step closer to becoming a “4 Minute City” (4MC) as part of an innovative program designed to improve survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

30 selected individuals with extensive first responder training and/or medical expertise attended a day of training at the Forsyth County Public Safety complex and received the first, of what eventually will be 300, Avive Connect™ Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) issued throughout the community.

Each member of the newly formed Forsyth County 4MC Cardiac Arrest Rapid Engagement (CARE) Team is now personally equipped with a small, mobile AED and is open to being dispatched by Forsyth County 911 to offer cardiac arrest victims lifesaving help before EMS can arrive at a nearby emergency. This initial team will also provide feedback to help fine-tune the program before the full roll out of AEDs which will be available to selected candidates in the community wishing to join the 4MC CARE Team. 

The Forsyth County 4MC 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 give everyday citizens the tools and the opportunity to offer local victims of cardiac arrest lifesaving help before EMS can arrive at an emergency with the goal of making an AED available within four minutes of collapse from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Forsyth County is one of the first communities in the nation selected for the program.

SCA is a leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of over 350,000 people per year in the United States. Studies have shown that a person’s chance of survival drops 7%-10% every minute they experience a cardiac arrest. With ready access to an AED and CPR training, bystanders can provide more immediate assistance to positively impact the overall number of lives saved. 

Residents are invited to learn more and take part in the program at https://avive.life/forsyth/. 

What partners involved in the project are saying:

Dr. Jeffrey Marshall, Chief of Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute: “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. Today, when these patients can 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.” 

David McKee, Forsyth County Manager: “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.”

Barry Head, Forsyth County Fire Chief: “Teamwork means everything in the fire service. Knowing that there is another tool out there actively helping save lives along with us make us even more confident about how we can effectively protect and save Forsyth County residents. The department is thankful to be involved in this program, and we thank the community for choosing to be the example to all around us of the kind of change that is possible when we work together.”

Tom Cisco, Director of Forsyth County EMA/911: “Our 911 team knows that each second after a cardiac arrest call comes in is crucial to getting medical attention to the victim before it’s too late. Having these AED’s available for our 911 professionals to dispatch so close to the scene of the incident, as well as the willing citizens on the CARE Team ready to accept those calls, is an incredible resource that we are fortunate to have added to our emergency response measures.”

Ricky Burnette, EMS Chief, Central EMS: “To Central EMS, the 4 Minute City means more positive patient outcomes with citizens saving citizens.”

Cinde Boyden, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Volunteer and Forsyth County 4MC Care Team Member: “Volunteering for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office has provided me with many wonderful opportunities to service our community, which I am grateful for. I am honored and humbled to be a part of the Avive team.  The knowledge and equipment I have been entrusted with could help save the life of a community member, and I can’t think of anything better than that.”

Sameer Jafri, co-founder and CEO at Avive Solutions: “At Avive, we are driven everyday 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. 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.”