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Vail Daily letter: Proud of Starting Hearts

Regarding the article on Dec. 23 (Starting Hearts, VVMC partner to place AEDs), Doris Kirchner, medical center president and CEO, says, “There’s a small window of time to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim.” How true! However, what happens today, tomorrow, next week, next year with the thousands of people who did not read this article? Who will know about the mobile app to locate an automatic external defibrillator? I personally prefer this terminology to the word AED for lay people. I believe having an app is wonderful, if one knows about it. I personally spoke to several people today who did not know what the app was and did not know what an AED was.

So what has happened to the signage outside of buildings that tells one where an AED is? The only ones that I have personally seen was at the Covered Bridge in Vail and the bus stop at Beaver Creek. If a condo, a restaurant, even a supermarket has an AED, how does one know unless there is signage outside?

Starting Hearts has been training the county and schoolchildren almost since inception. Starting Hearts, in three short years, has sold about 300 defibrillators, and now, with help from VVMC, only 50 more have to be sold. Starting Hearts has been a volunteer-driven organization, and I am so proud of their accomplishments in a few short years. I sincerely hope they will be clear of the politics that usually go along with being a part of a major organization.



Toby Mower


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