Redmond Regional Medical Center has trained Rome police officers on how to use automatic external defibrillators, as the department prepares to receive 44 AEDs next week. CPR training also was provided, by Rome officers Trixie Morgan and Jon Black.

AEDs will be provided for the Floyd County Police Department and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office after officers receive training, according to Redmond EMS Director Robert Early.

The defibrillators have been purchased with a $144,000 grant from Northwest Georgia Public Health, and are intended to improve defibrillation response to sudden cardiac arrests experienced by adults and children in the Floyd County area.

“Frequently, a police vehicle will be closer than an ambulance or fire vehicle, which already has the capability to defibrillate patients,” explained Northwest Georgia Public Health’s Dr. Wade Sellers, “and since chances of full recovery from sudden cardiac arrest decrease with each minute the patient goes without defibrillation, this is a potentially life-saving provision.”

Educating the public in early recognition of heart attack and stroke symptoms is another goal of the grant. Redmond EMS and Floyd Medical Center EMS will be leading this effort over the next six months.

Floyd EMS Director Bud Owens said, “It’s very important to recognize the early signs of heart attack and stroke. Due to recent medical advances, this can increase the chances of full recovery by reducing the amount of damage done to the heart and brain.”

The grant, written by Annette Clairy and David Loftin from the district public health office, is an urban AED grant received from the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health and just one of five awarded nationally.