Centra Sota Installs AEDs Across Rural Locations to Improve Emergency Response

New equipment helps bridge long ambulance response times in the communities we serve

At Centra Sota, we often talk about being involved in our communities. Most often we do that by supporting local organizations, volunteering time or services, or other types of donations. Last fall, however, we made a different sort of investment in our communities – we added 12 AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) to various Centra Sota locations.

We held a training at our Buffalo office in November to give team members an opportunity to learn to use the new AED systems being installed in our locations

Each year, there are around 350,000 cardiac arrests in the US and every minute counts. Survival chances decrease by 10% for every minute that CPR or use of an AED is delayed. Many of our locations are located in rural areas, creating longer response times once emergency services are contacted.

Andrea Douvier, Manager at the Centra Sota Upsala Country Store, shares, “For our community, rapid intervention is especially critical due to the extended ambulance response time. It typically takes 35–45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Although we have a dedicated local volunteer EMS team, response times can vary depending on where members are when the call comes in and how quickly they can access equipment.” Andrea is also a member of the volunteer EMS team in Upsala and continues, “In most cases, our EMS volunteers arrive within about 10 minutes, but CPR or AED use ideally needs to begin immediately when a cardiac event is suspected. These newly installed AEDs can make a lifesaving difference by giving bystanders the ability to act in those crucial first moments before responders arrive.”

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While there are many models to choose from, Centra Sota selected the Zoll AED 3 for its ease of use. This AED will talk the user through the entire process, including placing pads, analyzing the patient and providing guidance for performing CPR with verbal prompts and a graph to indicate proper compression depth along with a metronome to help keep CPR at the proper pace, 100 compressions per minute. The AEDs are now installed at Centra Sota locations in Albany (Feed Mill), Buffalo (Office & Country Store), Cokato, Little Falls, Santiago, Sauk Centre, St. Martin, Upsala, and Watkins. We also provided training to team members in each location to ensure we’re as prepared as possible.

While we hope these AEDs are never needed, we’re proud to be better prepared to support our communities when every second matters.