Automated External Defibrillator Grants – I bet some of you may be thinking, why does my community need automated external defibrillator anyway? This may come as a surprise, but annually there are more than 250 thousand people in the United States passed away because of a sudden heart attack during their daily life. Because heart attack can be fatal without proper emergency treatment, thoughts about finding grants for automated external defibrillator in communities have been in place for a while.
The AED is certainly not a new technology. This life-saving device has been around for more than 20 years, but the size was too big to be brought outside the hospital and it was also too costly. But thanks to technology development, the AED is now much more affordable and have less weight, making it possible for communities to install the AED for proper emergency treatment, thus improving the survival rate.
Some Options for Automated External Defibrillator Grants
If the chance of somebody having a cardiac arrest and need immediate AED use in your public space is once every five years, then your community is recommended to have one, according to the recommendation from American Heart Association. But where can we find money to fund this kind of program? Is there any AED grant or other funding opportunities available?
Getting the Automated External Defibrillator is usually easier if you are planning on using the device for your community, called the Community Access Defibrillation Program, which is often given to public community institution or places such as public schools or recreation sites.
There are many state, city or county governments that have acknowledged the importance of the AED in public spaces, so the first thing you want to do is to contact your city or county’s government office (especially the agencies that are related to health matters) and simply ask for information if there’s an allocation for AED program. If there are, they will gladly inform you on the requirements and how to apply. You can also search in a website that’s created to list a database of grant opportunities from the government called the grants.gov.
However, the grant provider is not limited to government office. There are many corporations that may be able to fund the AED program in your local community. These companies consider funding for this beneficial program as a part of their corporate social responsibilities program. If you are living close to headquarter of a national company, then there’s a chance that they can help. The company doesn’t have to be involved in the health-related industry. Bottom line is, as long as there’s a company headquarters nearby, you can submit your application!
Civic organizations and private foundations can also be the source of money for your AED program. They may offer direct funding through Automated External Defibrillator grant, or they can also help you with other related costs. It is highly recommended to search for such grant in the Foundation Center website, which has a massive list of foundations across the United States from various fields. Just use the search button and you can see the foundations interested in the field.
References:
- Funding Sources for AED Programs
- Cost-effectiveness of Automated External Defibrillator Deployment in Selected Public Locations
- Image: upmchorizonfoundation.org
