HUNTINGTON, WV — Cabell Huntington Hospital’s Emergency Department donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) to the Chesapeake Community Center to provide life-saving equipment in the event someone at the center suffers cardiac arrest.

Each day, the Chesapeake Community Center is filled with adults and children who participate in a wide range of physical activities including aerobics, weightlifting and basketball.

The addition of an AED adds a level of safety for those who exercise daily at the center.

“We are pleased to be able to provide the Chesapeake community with this life-saving tool so that anyone suffering from cardiac arrest can receive assistance promptly,” said Brent A. Marsteller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cabell Huntington Hospital. “Cabell Huntington Hospital and Lawrence County Emergency Medical Services have partnered to provide our neighbors in Lawrence County with this device and with the needed training to provide a safer environment for the many active people who exercise at the Chesapeake Community Center.”

Each year emergency medical personnel treat nearly 300,000 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and nearly 6,000 of those cases involve children under the age of 18, according to the American Heart Association.

The use of an AED along with standard CPR can help restore a heart rhythm.

Officials with Lawrence County Emergency Medical Services will provide training to center workers on the proper use of the AED.