Jackson first in country to launch FDA-approved portable defibrillators
In an effort to combat deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a number of local entities are partnering with Avive Solutions to implement the first FDA-approved, portable Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to be distributed to Jacksonians who want to get involved.

In the press conference hosted at the JFD Administrative Office on March 9, it was announced that the city of Jackson will be the first city in the country to provide members of their Cardiac Arrest Rapid Engagement (CARE) Team with portable AEDs. Hands-on CPR followed by a shock provided by an AED has proven to be the most effective method of saving the life of someone suffering from SCA.

Friends of Heart Executive Director Caitlin Clark explained the importance of this new "four-minute city" initiative when it comes to saving a life.

"Every minute a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest does not receive a shock, the survival chances decrease by ten percent," Clark said. "Time is of the essence like no other in a sudden cardiac arrest."

During the conference, it was discussed that approximately 350,000 deaths every year come as a result of sudden cardiac arrest. Survivability rates in Jackson are 6% compared to 10% nationally.

Executive Director of Emergency Services at West Tennessee Healthcare James Fountain explained how the AED will work in the hands of a CARE Team member.

Once 911 is dialed after an individual goes into SCA, the call will be sent to Jackson's Medlink dispatch system where they will take down the information, and an alert will be sent to a nearby CARE Team member's AED. A map will be presented on the screen of the AED providing the location of individuals suffering from SCA and how to administer care.

"They will deploy, meaning they will respond to that cardiac event, hence, four-minute city," Fountain said. "The whole purpose being is to have an AED, high-quality CPR to a victim within four minutes."

Fountain went on to describe the capability of the AED as "groundbreaking" in administering life-saving care to SCA victims.

This program comes as a result of partnership and collaboration among Avive Solutions, City of Jackson, Friends of Heart, JFD, Medical Care EMS, Medlink Dispatch, and West Tennessee Healthcare.

CEO of Avive Solutions Sameer Jafri noted that Avive is the first new United States company in two decades to employ this type of innovative technology. Pennsylvania and Georgia are soon to follow in deploying this technology.

"All I have to say is thank you and I hope that you all engage and I hope that you all are committed to your community, as I know you are, to try to improve outcomes of survival rates because it's not just saving that one person," Jafri said. "It's saving a mother, it's saving a father, it's saving a brother, a sister, a cousin, it's saving friends and the entire community when you can impact one life."

The CARE Team currently consists of 140 members including teachers, athletic trainers, firefighters, and the average citizen alike. They are looking to have an additional 110 members sign-up, and anyone who is interested can apply on the Avive website.

"This program is what Jackson is about," Jackson Mayor Scott Conger said. "Helping, supporting each other, responding to each other's needs, and looking out for each other as part of that collective effort to help save lives."