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News release: Colorado - Denver/BoulderMarch 29, 2005 For more information, call: Kaiser Permanente Colorado helps Denver Zoo Improve Emergency Response Health plan honors Zoo’s request for external automated defibrillators Denver – Kaiser Permanente Colorado is pleased to honor a request by the Denver Zoo to donate two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the city’s most popular scientific and cultural attraction. The AEDs were presented to the Denver Zoo today and will be available immediately for training and use by zoo emergency personnel and staff. The Denver Zoo’s security department reports that in the past four years, emergency personnel responded to 19 heart attack/chest pain victims. According to the American Heart Association, chances of survival increase when defibrillation is started as quickly as possible. On-site AEDs will improve the response rates of this life-saving care. “We are so grateful to Kaiser Permanente for this generous gift. The safety and well-being of our guests is of utmost concern at Denver Zoo. These two defibrillators will help us protect the 1.5 million visitors the zoo averages each year by enabling us to provide better critical emergency response,” says Vice President for Zoo Operations Dennis Smith. “Given the popularity of the zoo among people of all ages, it’s a privilege for Kaiser Permanente to be able to step in and help the zoo provide critical life-saving response efforts,” said Bill Wright, Kaiser Permanente associate medical director for external relations. “There’s a certain peace of mind that AEDs can provide medical personnel, as well as zoo visitors, that comes with having them on site.” The Denver Zoo plans to place one of the AEDs on an electric security cart that travels the 80 acres of exhibit areas as well as the 13 acres of parking. The other AED will be at a fixed location within the zoo known by and accessible to all trained zoo staff. The donation of these two AEDs is part of Kaiser Permanente’s support of community efforts to place AEDs in areas where they can make a difference in saving lives. Other AED donations have taken place at the new Colorado Convention Center, Denver International Airport, the Denver Center for Performing Arts and various fire departments in the metro area. As a nonprofit organization, Kaiser Permanente is committed to raising the overall health of our community. In 2004, the health plan donated more than $3.5 million to various agencies and programs across the state - all aimed at improving health and increasing access to care. Kaiser Permanente is a nonprofit health plan and the largest private health care provider in Colorado. For the second year in a row, the National Committee for Quality Assurance has rated Kaiser Permanente among the top ten health plans in the country for clinical quality. Kaiser Permanente cares for more than 438,000 members in the Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs areas. Kaiser Permanente physicians and care teams focus on prevention as well as curing disease, all in an effort to help patients live well and thrive.
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