Ferguson Township, Mount Nittany Health donate life-saving devices to community organizations

STATE COLLEGE — Local organizations will receive 11 lifesaving devices, thanks to Ferguson Township and Mount Nittany Health.

Ferguson Township Police recently purchased new automated external defibrillators for the township building and each patrol car, as first responders including police rely on the devices to quickly treat patients. Sgt. Ryan Hendrick said that when it came time to decide whether to sell or donate the still-working older models, township manager David Pribulka didn’t hesitate to approve donating them to community organizations.

“We’re donating them to organizations that otherwise wouldn’t have them,” Pribulka said in a release.

AEDs are portable devices that can restore normal rhythm to the heart in the minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. AEDs allow someone who may not be a medical professional to respond immediately to SCA, for which brain death can occur within four to six minutes. The response time from when SCA is discovered to when an ambulance arrives is, on average, no less than eight minutes, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association.

“Statistically, people who have access to an AED are much more likely to save lives,” Hendrick said.
Each AED has a battery pack, wired sensors and a computer that detects abnormalities and determines whether and when to deliver an electrical charge to the heart.

Mount Nittany Health donated $2,500 to purchase new batteries and pads for the older AEDs.

Receiving the refurbished AEDs are: State College Little League, State College Teener Baseball League, American Legion Post 245, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center and Centre Region Parks and Recreation for its soccer, lacrosse and track programs.