From Press and Staff Reports

Webster County residents in need of emergency medical services will now have greater access to a lifesaving device.

Thanks to a Mississippi Department of Health initiative funded by the federal Rural Access to Emergency Devices Grant, the funds allow purchasing and placement of automated external defibrillators in rural areas of the state.

Webster was among 23 counties that were awarded AEDs and has received others previously through the program.

The MDH initiative - the Mississippi Rural AED Program - works to save lives in rural areas. The AED units are placed in public access locations or with first responder units in areas where the closest emergency medical services unit might have a longer response time due to distance or other unavoidable circumstances. This year alone the MDH has awarded grant monies to place more than 70 AEDs in rural counties.

An AED is a device that automatically analyzes the heart rhythm and advises the responder or other user, through computerized voice instructions, when to push a button to deliver a potentially lifesaving shock to the victim.

According to Jim Craig, director of health protection, an AED is instrumental in the event that someone is having a heart attack.

"These AED units have been proven to increase survivability in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest," said Craig. "The units can be used by first responders or by the public in response to a sudden cardiac arrest incident."

Craig also said, "The AEDs provide earlier access to emergency care across all areas of the state. First responders in rural areas of the state are often the first to arrive on the scene of a medical emergency, and this new equipment will help them keep victims alive until they can be treated at the hospital."

He added, "In addition to the placement of the AED, the program provides funding for training so certified personnel and the public can administer appropriate treatment to those suffering from a heart attack."

Warning signs of a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association, include chest discomfort; discomfort in other areas of the upper body; pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort; and breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness.

"The cardiac chain of survival is early access to care (911), early CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced cardiac life support," said Craig. "With the placement of AEDs in rural areas throughout the state, cardiac arrest victims will have a much better chance of survival."