Grant allows for life saving device in community locations

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In the event of a medical emergency, having an AED nearby can save a life.

AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator and it’s used if someone goes into cardiac arrest. Thanks to a new grant program called Indy CARES, several more AEDs are placed around our community.

Pastor Brian Cobb believes his congregation at Lakeview Church is now safer thanks to a new AED device. The church just received one of the community’s new Indy CARES AEDs.

“It’s nice when people come in they see that we are an AED facility,” Lakeview Church Executive Pastor Brian Cobb said.

It’s located near the church’s lobby and easily accessible for the hundreds of people that come through the doors each week.

“We have had situations where someone has had some troubles and it’s nice to know that we have that available if we need it,” Cobb said.

The church is able to provide this to its visitors because of the Indy Cares program grant through Indianapolis EMS.  The group has been donating the devices, which cost a couple thousand dollars each, to various organizations around Indy.

“They provided everything as far as the training,they had a great team of people come out and set up the mannequins and just train our team,” Cobb said.

The newest addition to the AED fleet will be at Monument Circle downtown. A public training will take place Wednesday at lunchtime from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will also be teaching compression-only CPR.

Cobb said as a community member he’s grateful for the grant program.

“It promotes safety, it also promotes getting people involved to know how to take care of someone in the event of an emergency,” he said.

It’s encouraged him to train more staff members on how to use their new defibrillator and even get trained on CPR.

“We’re pretty excited to have it and it’s a blessing,” he said.