If your heart stops beating without warning, your blood ceases to reach your vital organs and you have minutes to live unless treated. You’d better hope you’re not in University dorms.
Currently, the University does not have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in first-year residence halls. An AED is a portable medical device that treats sudden cardiac arrest by analyzing heart rhythms and, if necessary, delivering an electric shock to restore a proper heartbeat. It is no larger than a laptop and is simple to use. Through voice prompts, lights and text, an AED can instruct a bystander to save a victim’s life.
AEDs are typically located in public places such as shopping centers, hotels, sports venues, golf courses, businesses and schools. On Grounds, there are 183 AEDs in total. One hundred of them can be found outside of the School of Medicine and Medical Center in places such as the AFC, the libraries, academic buildings and the Rotunda.
People who enter sudden cardiac arrest have a high likelihood of dying. A patient’s survival is largely contingent upon immediate bystander intervention. The difference between life and death often comes down to the availability of a bystander with an AED. If someone’s heartbeat stops in dorms, having an AED at hand could significantly improve his chances of survival. Minutes matter, and even the greatest emergency medical service workers may not be able to reach a victim in enough time to perform a successful rescue.
Other colleges have begun to place AEDs in dorms in the interest of resident safety. Last year, the Department of Residential Life at the University of Missouri approved a plan to spend approximately $16,000 in order to install AEDs in each residence hall. University of Missouri residence hall staff member James Jordan cited an incident in which he had to call 911 and was asked by the operator to procure an AED. “The nearest AED was not in a building I had access to, so I was unable to get one before the ambulance arrived,” Jordan said.
East Stroudsburg University) also introduced AEDs into its residence halls after a group of students approached the school’s housing department with the idea. AEDs on campus had previously saved two lives, one at graduation and one at a fitness class.
Cost is a great obstacle to installing AEDs in each residence hall. The American Heart Association estimates that the price of an AED varies between $1,500 and $2,000 depending on make and model. Furthermore, AED pads and non-rechargeable batteries only last two to four years before they must be replaced.
If Housing and Residence Life were to purchase 30 AEDs (allowing for one in each old and new dorm, four in Gooch/Dillard, two in Brown College, two in the IRC and one in Hereford), the total installation cost would hover around $60,000. And that is without considering the possibility of adding AEDs to upperclassman on-Grounds residence locations that house thousands of other undergraduates.
But that is a minor price to pay given that AEDs in dorms could result in the prevention of death. Aside from battery and pad replacement, is a one-time expense that will provide students with proper access to emergency healthcare. And if just one life on Grounds is saved, it will be well worth it.
If somebody dies of sudden cardiac arrest in a University residence hall before emergency medical services arrive, we will be kicking ourselves for not having proper emergency equipment in dorms. Housing and Residence Life must consider proposing an AED installation program to improve the safety and wellness of its residents.
In the meantime, Housing and Residence Life encourages students to call 911 if an emergency occurs within a residence hall. “The feasibility for adding AEDs within our residential communities is something we can review and discuss,” said Assistant Dean of Students Andy Petters in an interview. “Our focus continues to be connecting those in need with trained medical professionals as quickly as possible.”
Nazar Aljassar is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at n.aljassar@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoOur independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
ARRAS: U.Va. must revise the Sexual Assault Prevention Training module
By Aoife Arras | 5 days agoIn addition to its failures in interactivity, the module lacks details specific to the University and discusses key concepts in universal terms.
EDITORIAL: Pedestrian safety is an institutional imperative
By Editorial Board | April 15, 2024Amid a national crisis of pedestrian safety, Charlottesville and the University are also struggling to properly maintain pedestrian safety.
