AMSTERDAM and VAIL, Colo., June 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it will be providing Philips HeartStart Onsite automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains to create a cardiac arrest response system in collaboration with Starting Hearts and medic assist. To celebrate this, a launch event is planned for Saturday, June 2, 2018 in Vail Village.

Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Mountain will receive new Philips HeartStart Onsite AED placements, strategically located at the base of some of the most popular ski lifts. In addition, Starting Hearts and Vail Ski Patrol will train all Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek employees in lifesaving skills to provide early care when needed. Philips' collaboration with local, national and international partners was initiated by Lynn Blake, cardiac arrest survivor and founder of Starting Hearts, and aims to provide an advanced cardiac arrest response system to these two destination resort ski mountain.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is the world's leading cause of unexpected death. After surviving a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) when I was only 27 years old due to early cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED intervention, I founded Starting Hearts to share this knowledge," said Lynn Blake, founder of Starting Hearts. "I've made it my mission to raise awareness of SCA and the importance of CPR training and AED prevalence in public locations to allow for quick action during an SCA. It is encouraging that both Vail Resorts and Philips recognize the value of our work and that they are supporting Starting Hearts to implement this program for employees and guests."
An SCA can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Approximately 356,000 people of all ages experience EMS-assessed out-of-hospital non-traumatic SCA each year and nine out of 10 victims die [1]. When bystanders intervene by giving CPR and using AEDs, the survival rates double or triple [1]. For one SCA survivor, this collaboration has special importance, as it means providing others with access to AEDs in the same area where his life was saved.

"While on a skip trip to Vail in 2000, I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest at the top of the mountain," said Lee Curtes, a SCA survivor. "Due to early intervention from an AED and CPR from a ski patroller who jumped into action, I've been able to see my grandchildren grow up as well as return to Vail Mountain every year to ski with the patrollers who helped me."

Business Affairs Homepage