GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The Green Bay Packers and Bellin Health are partnering to provide 80 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to eligible school and recreational sports leagues and facilities in need throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Following the distribution, Bellin Health will conduct training sessions to make sure each AED recipient has multiple representatives within their organization who are properly trained in CPR and AED use.
"After seeing Damar Hamlin's shocking cardiac arrest and witnessing the incredible response from the emergency personnel and medical professionals who treated him, we recognized our responsibility to take action in our own community," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "Damar’s injury also reminds us that cardiac emergencies are experienced each day throughout the country and our region. We’re proud to work with Bellin Health to equip more athletic facilities and organizations with AEDs, as well as the tools and skills they need to save a life.”
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Service, approximately 350,000 cardiac arrest events happen outside of hospitals each year with around half of those people not receiving help until an ambulance arrives. Going deeper into the numbers, more than 10,000 people statewide are hospitalized after a heart attack each year, including nearly 400 people annually in Brown County.
“We are extremely grateful to the Green Bay Packers for this incredible donation of life-saving equipment to the communities we serve,” said Bellin Health President Chris Woleske. “Access to this equipment combined with education surrounding how to provide aid in a cardiac emergency is proven to save lives.”
The Packers and Bellin Health are also working together to expand access to CPR and AED training throughout the region with plans to offer large-scale public training sessions. Additionally, the two organizations are spreading awareness for Hands-Only CPR, a form of CPR that is appropriate for members of the public who do not have any advanced medical training or experience.
Bellin Health currently offers AED and CPR training opportunities throughout the year. Those interested in attending a course or sharing this education with their community can click HERE to learn more. Additionally, the American Red Cross provides training opportunities across the county.
More information regarding available training sessions held at Lambeau Field will be announced in the coming months.
