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News release: Colorado - Denver/BoulderJuly 12, 2004 For more information, call: Broomfield police now equipped with AEDs thanks to life-saving gift from Kaiser Permanente Denver, CO – Kaiser Permanente's efforts to help communities thrive in the Denver metro area continue with donations of life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Broomfield Police received two AEDs on Monday, July 12, 2004. The AEDs analyze the heart rhythm and automatically indicate when to administer an electric shock. "Those who arrive first on the scene of an emergency know the difference seconds can make in life or death situations. These AEDs will help the first responders of the Broomfield Police Department make that difference," said Police Chief Tom Deland. "We are grateful to Kaiser Permanente and the commitment it's making to the health and care of our citizens." The Broomfield donation follows previous gifts where Kaiser Permanente has placed more than 50 AEDs at DIA, the Denver Center for the Performing Art, the State Capitol, and at various metro area fire districts. As many as 250,000 Americans die each year of cardiac arrest, mostly when their hearts start to beat chaotically. Automated external defibrillators are designed to recognize the chaotic beating and deliver a shock to bring the heart back into a normal rhythm. Immediate defibrillation can increase someone's chance of survival by 70 percent. "We know minutes can save lives," said Michael Leonard, MD, chief of Kaiser Permanente's patient safety program in Colorado. "Police officers having access to an AED is like a doctor having access to a stethoscope. Technology now allows us to do all we can to help a patient needing critical care. This partnership truly benefits the entire community." Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit health plan that cares for more than 418,000 members in the six-county Denver metro area and in Colorado Springs. It scores among the top 10 health care organizations in the United States for clinical quality as rated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. In the Denver metro area, care is provided by a coordinated team that includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, mental health counselors and physical therapists. In the Colorado Springs area, Kaiser Permanente cares for its members through an affiliated network of community-based physicians and other health care providers.
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