FOR RELEASE JAN. 5, 2010 

Sequoia Healthcare District • 525 Veterans Blvd. • Redwood City, CA 94063

www.sequoiahealthcaredistrict.com

Jan. 5, 2010

Contact: Don Shoecraft • Sequoia Healthcare District • Public Information • 650-594-0556

ADVISORY TO EDITORS: A ribbon cutting will be held at Sequoia High School’s Terremere Field, 1201 Brewster Ave., Redwood City at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5 to dedicate the Code Blue® unit. Participating will be representatives of the Sequoia Healthcare District, the Sequoia Union High School District, the Redwood City and Woodside fire departments and a large contingent of students being trained in CPR.

SEQUOIA HEALTHCARE DISTRICT’S HEARTSAFE, SEQUOIA UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT AND EMERGENCY AGENCIES COLLABORATE TO INSTALL CODE BLUE® TOWER REDWOOD CITY — California’s first video-equipped, two-way communications capable, 24-hour-monitored automated external defibrillator (AED) unit to be installed on a high school campus goes online this month at Sequoia High School’s Terremere Field, the result of collaboration between Sequoia Healthcare District’s HeartSafe program, the Sequoia Union High School District and emergency responders including the Redwood City Fire Department and the County of San Mateo.

Terremere Field is the locale for numerous well-attended sporting contests, from intramural to adult league play, and sees recreational use until as late as 10 p.m. several months of the year. The new emergency unit is intended to help assure the safety of the thousands of youth and adults who take advantage of the field’s track and playing surfaces and speed emergency response no matter the reason for an emergency call.

Defibrillation is the only effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest. A victim must be defibrillated within six minutes and receive vital CPR before brain and organ death begin to occur — a victim’s survival chances diminish 10 percent with each passing minute. Paramedic response often takes longer than 6 minutes.

The HeartSafe program has placed more than 250 AEDs in police and sheriff’s vehicles, parks, schools, community centers and public buildings throughout southern San Mateo County. These devices, which are designed for use by laypersons, have saved at least three lives in the district.

Seven cabinet- or case-style AEDs have been placed on the Sequoia High School campus; however, none have the communications capability for immediate contact with emergency dispatchers of the new device, which goes by the manufacturer’s name of Code Blue®. This also is the first use of an integrated AED by the manufacturer.

Additionally, response for emergencies other than sudden cardiac arrest can be summoned via the Code Blue® device — an important feature considering the many thousands of people of all ages who use the field every year.

Sequoia Healthcare District’s HeartSafe financed the more than $11,000 cost of the Code Blue® device, Sequoia Union High School District provided the location, labor and materials for installation and power service and the Redwood City Fire Department will receive calls and likely be first responder to any emergency situation.

Sequoia Healthcare District Board of Directors President Don Horsley pointed out that, the device is going to cut minutes off of the emergency response no matter the crisis, whether it’s a football player with an injury, a soccer player or someone in the stands with cardiac arrest.

“Even if someone in the stands has a cell phone and they call 9-1-1, this is faster,” he added. “It’s possible that 9-1-1 programs to a different police department or even goes to the CHP or even can be busy, but this one goes directly to the agency responsible for emergency service.”

Sequoia Union High School District has been an active partner in the HeartSafe program and views the new unit to be an enhancement.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this model collaboration,” said Patrick Gemma, Ed.D., superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District. “The advanced emergency response system and equipment provided by the health care district, and the CPR training provided by the fire department, positions us well to serve our students, staff and visitors in the event of a medical emergency on our athletic fields at Sequoia High School.”

Redwood City Fire Chief James Skinner pointed out that, “we are always looking for early response and intervention in a medical emergency. When someone goes down on the field almost immediately someone could render assistance because the Code Blue® device is there. With this tool available, intervention can start sooner to increase survivability dramatically.

“There is no other way to possibly do it without Sequoia Healthcare District.”

Woodside is the candidate location for the next Code Blue® installation, which be a more innovative unit because it will be equipped with solar power panels. Woodside Fire Department also provides the cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) model for CPR training ancillary to Sequoia Healthcare District’s AED program and provides the trainers who will be recertifying a class of community volunteers in CPR during the Code Blue® dedication Jan. 5.

Woodside Fire Chief Armando Muela pointed out that, “Local fire agencies have long supported public access defibrillation programs because they save lives. Sequoia Healthcare District has provided the funding, training and quality assurance in making AEDs available throughout the communities it serves. Code Blue® represents the latest and best evolution of this technology and we are glad to support this effort.”

Code Blue®’s largest user base is colleges and universities and public facilities such as the Golden Gate Bridge. Bay Area educational institutions with units include Laney College, Santa Clara University and Peralta Community College. Corporate installations are at Yahoo, Cisco and Pixar. Major medical institutions using them include the Kaiser system and Sutter Health.

The Sequoia High School unit operates simply via a push button. Pushing the button establishes a two-way connection with dispatchers who also will be able to view a video feed of the scene at the device. The remote operator can open a door for access to the AED, can activate a blue emergency beacon and can take other steps to summon emergency personnel.

Emergency personnel also know the exact location of the Terremere AED, the other seven units on campus and all other AEDs in the community placed by Sequoia Healthcare District.

The Code Blue® unit specifications include: Voice identifier, UV resistant lenses, insulated stainless steel AED housing, phone- activated AED access door, ADA compliance, ultra weather resistant finish, vandal resistant hardware, a 70-watt area high pressure sodium area light, an LED lighted stainless steel faceplate and analog telephone.

Cardiac arrest can be survivable with good outcomes, depending upon the length of time between the onset of an incident and application of lifesaving measures such as CPR and defibrillation.

“In the case of cardiac arrest,” President Horsley said, “we have six minutes to get lifesaving equipment to that person, otherwise they may not survive. This is going to make a significant difference in public safety, particularly at a time when schools do not have the money to have an ambulance or even a team doctor standing by. Minutes can mean life or death and we are helping improve the odds in favor of survival.”

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Don Shoecraft
Sequoia Healthcare District
Information Contact
don_at_mtkcom.com
650-594-0556 Received on Tue Jan 05 2010 - 16:09:51 PST