Defibrillator sites across Grey Bruce are being mapped and listed in an ongoing effort to inform the public of the locations of these life-saving devices, and the Grey Bruce Health Unit is welcoming additions to their database.

Grey Bruce Health Unit communications co-ordinator Denis Langlois shares:

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The South Bruce Safe Communities Committee, co-led by the Grey Bruce Health Unit, has spearheaded an initiative to create a comprehensive, up-to-date list of automated external defibrillator (AED) locations in Grey-Bruce.

AEDs – small, portable, easy-to-use medical devices that can help restart the heart of someone who has gone into cardiac arrest – can be found in community centres, halls, churches, schools, businesses, and other public places.

A map of AED sites in Bruce County can be found on Bruce County’s website (scroll down page to Hospitals, Defibrillators, and Long Term Care Locations), while locations in Grey County can be found on Grey County’s website (scroll down page to Grey County PAD Locations).

“Having a current picture of where AEDs are located in Grey-Bruce will allow residents to know if the space they’ll be using has one of these potentially life-saving devices available. It also reveals any gaps in AED availability in Grey-Bruce and locations where new AEDs could be placed in the future,” says GBHU Health Promoter Kaela Sales, who co-leads the South Bruce Safe Communities Committee (SBSCC) with the Saugeen Shores Police.

About 35,000 cardiac arrests occur annually in Canada, with about 80 per cent happening outside of a hospital. About one in 10 victims do not survive. Performing CPR and using an AED on a person experiencing cardiac arrest can double their chances of survival.

CPR & Defibrillation training/recertification is available through several local organizations.

The SBSCC is a multi-sectoral partnership that supports the implementation of a co-ordinated approach to addressing safety issues in Bruce County.

Organizations, groups, and businesses with AEDs can add their locations to the local AED lists by emailing [email protected] (Grey County) or [email protected] (Bruce County).

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source: media release, Grey Bruce Health Unit