#1 Comments from public - Mercy Health System donation
FIRE DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM
March 2, 2009
TO: City Council
FROM: Gerry Luiting, Deputy Fire Chief
SUBJECT: Requests and comments from the public regarding the Agenda not
requiring a public hearing – Mercy Health System Donation
Rich Gruber, Vice President of Mercy Health System, would like to formally present the
Janesville City Council and Fire Department with a donation of five new
monitor/defibrillators. Deputy Chief Gerry Luiting will be present to accept this donation
on behalf of the Fire Department.
Mercy Health System has provided the Fire Department with five new ZOLL E-Series
monitor/defibrillators, a donation worth nearly $100,000. The machines went into
service on January 23 and are all capable of 12-lead ECG administration. The
machines can transmit 12-lead ECGs to hospitals, which international guidelines now
recommend for out-of-hospital use to help reduce time to perfusion in S-T segment
elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Four citizens have already benefitted
from the capabilities of the machines and the STEMI program. A feature of these
machines also instantly provides paramedics with technology to see how well they are
performing the rate and depth of CPR chest compressions. Another feature allows for
“See-Thru CPR”, which enables the paramedics to minimize interruptions in CPR that
effect resuscitation success. This donation is a critical component to enhanced cardiac
care for the citizens of Janesville and the Fire Department would like to thank Mercy
Health System for their generous donation.
About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) claims more than 1 million lives each year worldwide. It is
the leading cause of unexpected death in the world and strikes without warning.
Currently, only about 5 percent of victims survive; 95 percent will die from SCA. SCA is
an abrupt disruption of the heart’s function, which causes a lack of blood flow to vital
organs. CPR and a defibrillating shock are essential to helping restore the heart’s
normal rhythm and circulation.
Cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager
Jay Winzenz, Director of Administrative Services