Club collaboration sees more AEDs in the community

Three clubs in the Canterbury-Bankstown area, Canterbury League Club, Campsie RSL Club and Revesby Workers Club, have pooled together a $60,000 donation to Heart of the Nation to make 13 more life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) more widely accessible within the local community.

The AEDs, encased brightly in an eye-catching yellow package, can be used to shock the heart of someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Rapid access to an AED dramatically increases a patient’s chance of survival whilst waiting for paramedics.

Canterbury League Club is currently taking expressions of interest from our Members to host an AED inside their property line, but still within public access, so that their fellow community members and neighbours may also be close to one and can use in case of emergency.

Heart of the Nation Founder and CEO, Greg Page, discussed the importance and benefits of hosting an AED:

“Heart of the Nation is a national charity, with a mission of empowering the community to respond to sudden cardiac arrest, when and where it occurs.”

“This includes ensuring that more people have rapid access to an AED at home, where up to 80% of sudden cardiac arrests occur.”

“Given the scale of the problem – more than 26,000 Australians have a sudden cardiac arrest each year, and only 5% survive – this is a critical national health issue, and the solution lies, quite literally in the hands of the community, and their ability to pick up a phone, call 000, start CPR, and grab the nearest AED and use it to try to shock the patient,” said Mr Page.

Hosting an AED is a simple process, and Canterbury Members can register their Expressions of Interest here: www.heartofthenation.com.au/canterbury-bankstown