AMSTERDAM and VAIL, Colo., June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it will be providing Philips HeartStart Onsite automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains to create a cardiac arrest response system in collaboration with Starting Hearts and medic assist. To celebrate this, a launch event is planned for Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Vail Village.
Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Mountain will receive new Philips HeartStart Onsite AED placements, strategically located at the base of some of the most popular ski lifts. In addition, Starting Hearts and Vail Ski Patrol will train all Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek employees in lifesaving skills to provide early care when needed. Philips’ collaboration with local, national and international partners was initiated by Lynn Blake, cardiac arrest survivor and founder of Starting Hearts, and aims to provide an advanced cardiac arrest response system to these two destination resort ski mountain.
“Sudden cardiac arrest is the world’s leading cause of unexpected death. After surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) when I was only 27 years old due to early cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED intervention, I founded Starting Hearts to share this knowledge,” said Lynn Blake, founder of Starting Hearts. “I’ve made it my mission to raise awareness of SCA and the importance of CPR training and AED prevalence in public locations to allow for quick action during an SCA. It is encouraging that both Vail Resorts and Philips recognize the value of our work and that they are supporting Starting Hearts to implement this program for employees and guests.”
An SCA can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Approximately 356,000 people of all ages experience EMS-assessed out-of-hospital non-traumatic SCA each year and nine out of 10 victims die [1]. When bystanders intervene by giving CPR and using AEDs, the survival rates double or triple [1]. For one SCA survivor, this collaboration has special importance, as it means providing others with access to AEDs in the same area where his life was saved.
“While on a skip trip to Vail in 2000, I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest at the top of the mountain,” said Lee Curtes, a SCA survivor. “Due to early intervention from an AED and CPR from a ski patroller who jumped into action, I’ve been able to see my grandchildren grow up as well as return to Vail Mountain every year to ski with the patrollers who helped me.”
German based medic assist will provide its leading edge technology for the first time in a major resort area in the U.S. Their SmartLink solution is custom designed for Philips defibrillators and provides automated daily checks of defibrillator status; built-in accelerometer to alert of device movement; GPS technology to track each device; and built-in two-way communications to allow 911 dispatch to assist first responders. Their patented Safebox cabinet provides controlled temperature and humidity for defibrillators so that they are always ready, regardless of extreme cold weather conditions.
“Immediate treatment during the minutes between a person’s heart stopping and the arrival of emergency responders is crucial,” said Arman Voskerchyan, Business Leader, Therapeutic Care, Philips. “Through this collaboration with Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains, Starting Hearts and medic assist, Philips’ HeartStart Onsite AEDs will now be available in two popular ski destinations, allowing easy access to the technology during a critical time period to help save lives.”
“A defibrillator used in the first few minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest can greatly increase the chance of survival,” said Brice May, Vail Mountain Ski Patrol. “Though Ski Patrol is well trained in CPR and has access to defibrillators across the mountain, we believe that having additional defibrillators readily accessible in public spaces can truly make the difference in an emergency situation.”
HeartStart automated defibrillators are located in major public places around the globe, including airports, shopping malls, sports arenas, schools and Fortune 500 companies, making Philips AEDs more accessible so that those in need can receive the help they need when they need it.
The launch event for this new cardiac arrest response system will take place on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 10am MT in Vail Village. To learn more about Philips HeartStart products and survivor stories, visit https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/articles/aed-solutions.
References
[1] About SCA, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, January 31, 2018
For further information, please contact:
Kathy O’Reilly
Senior Group Press Officer, Philips
Tel: +1-978-221-8919
Email: kathy.oreilly@philips.com
Silvie Casanova
Philips North America
Tel: +1 617-599-6624
Email: silvie.casanova@philips.com
Alan Himelfarb
Starting Hearts
Tel: +1 970 763-5306
Email: alan@startinghearts.org
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2017 sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs approximately 74,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About Starting Hearts
Our mission is to save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims through free CPR and defibrillator education, widespread distribution of lifesaving defibrillators everywhere in public, activation of citizen first responders, and broad stakeholder cooperation in the communities we serve.
SOURCE Royal Philips
