Friends of Heart, a fund of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, will proudly present an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Montessori Center of Jackson Early Childhood and Elementary School, 278 Cooper-Anderson Road, at 2 p.m., today.

“We are grateful for Friends of Hearts’ mission to ensure the local community’s cardiovascular health,” said Marla McDowell, Head of School, “Thank you for donating the AED to our school. This contribution to MCOJ is greatly appreciated and have given us peace of mind regarding the event of a cardiac emergency.”

According to a press release, one of the main goals of Friends of Heart is to provide the community with live-saving resources. These devices recalibrate deadly heart rhythms of a person who has gone into cardiac arrest. These actions can mean the difference between life and death, especially in rural areas where it can take EMS longer to arrive. The AEDs are simple to use and can be operated without a medical professional present.

Friends of Heart has now placed over 60 AEDs in public rural areas throughout West Tennessee. Friends of Heart partners with the West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center to meet the needs of heart patients. Our mission is to be a community led and community focused group, ensuring the best heart and vascular care for West Tennesseans’. This effort is designed to keep fundraising dollars local, serving the people of West Tennessee.

Friends of Heart’s main Key Initiatives are:

· Increase opportunities for clinical research and technological advancement in West Tennessee

· Develop and fund better community outreach, education, and resource development

· Develop a mechanism for improved staff education and development

· Construct the first integrated heart center within our 18-county region

David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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