The North Platte Police Department has been awarded a grant to place automated external defibrillators in its patrol cars.

The funds are part of a $6.4 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to supply AEDs to every Nebraska law enforcement agency as well as Nebraska Game and Parks facilities.

“With this generous gift from the Helmsley Charitable Trust Grant, the North Platte Police Department will be able to provide on the spot lifesaving emergency care to our community,” said Police Chief Dan Hudson. “The addition of an AED in each of our police patrol cars puts this piece of lifesaving technology at the scene of every emergency we respond to.”

The grant, facilitated through the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Public Health, will fund the devices to be placed in law enforcement vehicles in North Platte. The project includes training, which will be held at Mid Plains Community College.

“Seconds count during a cardiac arrest,” said Walter Panzirer, a Helmsley trustee. “We know in Nebraska, 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.”

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 AEDs selected feature technology conducive to the highly mobile and challenging environment of a patrol vehicle.

The AEDs will help ensure that rescuers provide the fastest first shock when defibrillation is needed. The devices feature industry-leading analysis technology that reduces pauses during CPR, allowing for improved blood circulation and better odds of survival. Using Wi-Fi connectivity, these self-monitoring devices can send near real-time event data, including a patient’s heart rhythm and delivered shocks, to incoming emergency services or receiving hospitals, thus allowing for post-event evaluation to improve care delivery.

The new devices will be placed and training conducted on June 9. 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 health care in rural America, $72 million of that in Nebraska.North Platte Telegraph News reports Helmsley Trust Police AED Grant


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