Parker Jewish, Weprin Unveil Life Savers’

Parker Jewish Institute unveiled 22 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) last Friday that will be used at the health care and rehabilitation facility in New Hyde Park.
The units were funded by Assemblymember Mark Weprin and are aimed at reducing the amount of time it takes to adminster life-saving care to a person undergoing cardiac arrest. The units are also made to be used by lay people who may not have medical training.
“The most critical element is getting this to the patient in the shortest time possible,” said Dr. Colin Foley, the senior vice president of medical services and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Parker. “The electric shock is critical and any delay can cause death.”
According to president and CEO Michael Rosenblut, more than 3,000 people traverse the halls of Parker every day — not all of them versed in emergency medical training. But with the 22 AEDs, manufactured by Medtronic, spread out across the many nurse stations in the facility, Rosenblut and others emphasized that someone who goes into cardiac arrest will never be far from one of the life-saving machines.
During a presentation of the units, RN Donna Caccavale demonstrated the bright, color-coded instructions and the booming voice that emits from the black box directing the user as to what step to take next.
“It only shocks a shockable rhythm,” she said, emphasizing its foolproof, user-friendly nature.
Weprin spoke of the bill that passed the state legislature a few years back requiring every school to have one of these devices. He noted that Parker was taking the lead in the field of health care facilities by ordering so many.
“The question isn’t ‘can we afford it,’ the question is whether we can afford not to have it?”
Jennifer Fergusson was an employee of the Greater New York Hospital Association last October when she went into cardiac arrest and was saved by a defibrillator. She now calls herself “Defibrillator Girl,” and says it is now her mission to get these devices into as many public places as she can.
“Even if the device is used only once, isn’t it worth it to save a life?” Fergusson said.
The units cost about $2,000 apiece and Weprin said the funding came out of state grants. He added that when Ron Shafran of Parker contacted him regarding the AEDs, he knew it was the right thing to do.
“I jumped all over it,” Weprin said. “It’s unusual to be a part of saving lives.”
editrich@queenscourier.com