When sudden cardiac arrest happens, every second matters.

For every minute a person remains in cardiac arrest, their chances of survival decrease by approximately 10%. On an island as geographically diverse as Whidbey, where distance and geography can affect emergency response times, having access to a life-saving Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in the community can make a critical difference.

That is why WhidbeyHealth Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is working to bring AEDs directly into the communities where they are needed most.

Bringing Emergency Response Closer to Home

Through its community AED program, WhidbeyHealth EMS partners with businesses, organizations, civic groups, and other community-minded partners to identify locations where an AED can provide the greatest potential benefit.

The program is designed not simply to place AEDs, but to ensure they are safely and strategically located in areas where they can be accessed quickly when an emergency occurs.

WhidbeyHealth EMS prioritizes locations with known prolonged EMS response times due to geographic challenges, as well as locations that host significant community events and gatherings.

In 2026, the WhidbeyHealth Foundation provided $14,141 in support of the program, helping fund 10 community-placed AEDs, along with training manikins and training AEDs.

And the support doesn't end when an AED is installed.

Each participating organization receives training from WhidbeyHealth EMS and is retrained annually, helping ensure that community members are prepared to respond when it matters most.

Growing a Community of Preparedness

The newest organizations to join the program are the Coupeville and Oak Harbor Boys & Girls Clubs, expanding access to life-saving equipment and training for the children, families, staff, and communities they serve.

Their partnership represents something larger than the placement of an AED. It represents a community coming together to be better prepared for an emergency.

More Than a Hospital

WhidbeyHealth is more than a hospital. It is a health system providing care across Whidbey Island.

Through partnerships like the community AED program, WhidbeyHealth EMS and the WhidbeyHealth Foundation are helping extend that care beyond hospital walls and into the places where people live, work, gather, learn, and play.

Your support helps make programs like this possible.

To support life-saving programs across Whidbey Island, make a gift to the WhidbeyHealth Foundation today.

Together, we can help put the right resources in the right places—because when a life is at risk, every minute matters.

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