The School District of Philadelphia is announcing plans to place AEDs in all district schools on Tuesday.
This addition is part of a health and safety project. While all high schools have AEDs, the district wants to expand the AED initiative to elementary schools.
In addition to the new equipment, elementary school principals will be taught hands-only CPR and how to use the AED machines.
AEDs (automated external defibrillators) are portable devices that check heart rhythms. If the rhythms are irregular, the AED can send an electric shock to make them normal. They are also designed to treat sudden cardiac arrests.
After a yearlong process, The School District of Philadelphia announced June 13 at 9:30 a.m. in a press conference at 440 N. Broad St. that it plans to complete equipping schools with AEDs by June 30, 2017, just after classes end.
Cardiologist Dr. Vicki Vetter of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Rachel Moyer, advocate and parent of student athlete of East Stroudsburg, Gregory Moyer, who passed away due to cardiac arrest will be a the press conference.
They will be joined by Dr. Cheryl Logan, Chief of Academic Support of The School District of Philadelphia; Bettyann Creighton, Office of Academic Support, Health, Safety and Physical Education of The School District of Philadelphia, and John Barber, Chief Development Officer of The Fund for The School District of Philadelphia.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The AEDs were purchased with the support of the Louis T. Savino, III Foundation, the Jahri Evans Foundation and the Daniel Rumph II Foundation.
