Automated external defibrillators (AED) are in the spotlight after paramedics used one to revive Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin when he collapsed on the football field during a January 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thanks to help from the Via Heart Project, which works with schools and communities to implement and maintain AED programs, and funding supplied by Measure K, a 2016 extension of San Mateo County’s half-cent sales tax, South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) was able to outfit all its schools and offices with AEDs ahead of the 2019-20 school year.
“We were looking for ways to improve our ability to respond to emergency situations while also ensuring the safety of our students,” said SSFUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Ted O. “We are fortunate to have a collaborative relationship with the County, so we were able to work with them to make this happen.”
According to O, the County provided the district with a grant funded by Measure K to help pay for the initial purchase of the AEDs.
Via Heart Project was chosen to partner with SSFUSD, because the organization had helped bring AEDs to other public school districts in San Mateo County including San Mateo-Foster City School District (SMFCSD), Millbrae Elementary, and San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD).
“We were so pleased with the success of the roll out with SMFCSD, Millbrae and SMUHSD,” said Cathy DeCock, Via Heart Project’s chief operating officer, “and were glad to hear that the SSF schools may be next!”
Since 2019, SSFUSD has trained more than 100 people to operate the AEDs.