Hotels in Mid North benefit
Partnership program sees defibrillators installed in hotels.
Clare Valley and the Mid North is the latest regional location to share in the rollout of 300-plus defibrillators in pubs and clubs across the state.
In a partnership between the Australian Hotels Association (SA), Clubs SA and St John Ambulance SA the program is aimed to help save lives in the country.
AHA (SA) general manager Ian Horne said access to a defibrillator in the first 10 minutes of a cardiac arrest was crucial to a person’s survival.
In the Mid North, defibrillators will be/have been installed at the following venues: Bentley’s Hotel/Motel, Blyth Hotel, Burra Hotel, Central Hotel - Riverton, Clare Castle Hotel, Clare Country Club, Clare Hotel, Commercial Hotel - Burra, Commercial Hotel - Jamestown, Crystal Brook Hotel, Jamestown Hotel, North Kapunda Hotel, North Laura Hotel, Peterborough Hotel, Railway Hotel Motel - Jamestown, Railway Hotel/Motel - Peterborough, Rising Sun Hotel - Auburn, Riverton Hotel, Sevenhill Hotel, Spalding Hotel, Taminga Hotel and Watervale Hotel.
All the defibrillators will be integrated with SA Ambulance Service’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Register so that country callers to Triple Zero can be immediately directed to their nearest device location, if an ambulance is unable to arrive within the critical timeframe for cardiac arrests.
Clubs SA CEO Mike Penfold said recently, quick and easy access to defibrillators had saved the lives of the young and not so young pursuing their favourite sport at their club.
“This is a stark reminder of the importance and effectiveness of this Program which ensures that defibrillators are easily available and accessible to regional communities where people gather to play their sport or to participate in their common interests,” Mr Penfold says.
St John Ambulance SA chief executive officer Michael Cornish said when it came to cardiac arrest, every minute counts.
“The chance of survival dramatically decreases by 10 per cent for every minute defibrillation is delayed. A delay of ten minutes more often than not results in death,” he said.
“Areas of critical need for these devices are those located more than five to 10 minutes from their nearest hospital or ambulance station."
Mr Penfold said regional cardiac arrest victims have little chance of survival without an easy-to-access, user- friendly, resuscitation alternative available 24/7.
Alarmingly, a recent Monash University study found South Australians suffering an out of hospital cardiac arrest had a 9.9 per cent chance of survival, compared to 11.9 per cent in Victoria and 13 per cent in New Zealand.
“The user of a defibrillator can easily follow the instructions via an automated voice to assist them with the resuscitation process and a shock will only be administered if it’s necessary,” Mr Cornish said.