A 501c3 Certified Non-Profit Organization

January 2022 Monthly Newsletter

Breaking News- 100+ Outdoor AED Cabinets installed

Royalton Car Wash

Royalton High School

We have officially installed 100 Outdoor AED Cabinets. We want to thank everyone who has helped us reach this milestone. In 2018 we placed the first Outdoor AED Cabinet and have placed 100+ by the end of 2021. We are excited to continue on this journey to help save more lives with the placement of Outdoor AED Cabinets.

In December, Kaitlyn Gilk went to San Diego, CA to accept the 40 under 40 Award she was awarded by the Citizen CPR Foundation. She received this award for her work in Paynesville, MN. Kaitlyn raised over $22,000 to place AEDs outdoors for her Girl Scout Gold Award. She attended the Citizen CPR conference and meet a lot of different people who shared their stories on why they are dedicated to helping people with Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Everyone from survivors to doctors, and other nonprofits. Kaitlyn gave a presentation at the Breakfast of Champions at the summit to share with others the work we are doing. We are excited to work with the many people Kailtyn meet to improve the outcomes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survival.

What is the Difference Between Sudden Cardiac Arrest and a Heart Attack?

You have probably heard the terms sudden cardiac arrest and heart attack used often. You read an article online, you watch the news, you have a conversation with your friend, and these terms tend to pop up and get used interchangeably.  

Did you know that sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack are NOT the same thing? In fact, they are very different.

What is a Heart Attack?

According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, a heart attack is a plumbing problem. Someone suffering a heart attack can be responsive and their heart can still be beating.

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

According to The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, cardiac arrest is an electrical problem. When someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest, they are unresponsive and their heart stops beating immediately. When a person’s heart stops beating, blood is no longer pumping throughout the body to the vital organs including the brain. Immediate treatment is crucial for survival.

Meet the Team:

Rich Feneis

After a successful career in the electric sign & logo sign business, Rich Feneis decided he wanted to dedicate his time to something meaningful. This is when he thought about his long-time friend Joel Vogel, who for the past 8 years had been fundraising for and donating life-saving AED's throughout Central Minnesota. Rich took it on himself to learn a bit more about cardiac arrest, CPR, and the use of an AED – and that's when he found out that 80% of the time cardiac arrests happen in the home. He then decided to look up the average EMS response times for his Pine Point neighborhood and was startled to find out that given the time for EMS to arrive, the chances of survival were almost zero.

With this, Rich knew he needed to place an AED in his neighborhood which would be accessible 24/7 year-round. After an overwhelmingly positive response from the neighbors and surrounding community, Rich decided to approach a local hospital group and see if they would be interested in contributing to a county-wide initiative. It wasn't long after that, Rich launched Advocates for Health, a certified 501c3 non-profit organization committed to placing community AED's in outdoor smart monitored cabinets.

-Outdoor: Our vision is that AEDs are accessible to the public 24/7. Oftentimes AEDs are located inside buildings. Placing an AED outdoors and available to the public is key to helping during a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)

-AED: An Automated External Defibrillator can be used by anyone and can help save a life during SCA. The AED will deliver a shock to a person in SCA only if it detects that it is needed. An AED will not shocker a person that does not need it.

-Smart: If the cabinet door is opened or the AED is taken out of the cabinet, a call center will be alerted of an emergency.

-Monitored: Since we want the AED to be available in an outdoor space, it is important to control the temperature of where the AED is stored. Heat and cold could cause an AED not be working properly. Our team is alerted if the temperature is too low or high or loses power. 

-Cabinet: The stainless steel cabinet that houses the AED is weather-resistant to withstand the elements of all seasons.

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