Courtesy of San Benito High School:
San Benito High School this year purchased an additional five AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators), bringing the total to 15 of the life-saving devices throughout the campus.
An AED is a portable electronic device that stops a heart’s abnormal rhythm resulting from sudden cardiac arrest by determining whether the heart needs to be shocked. The device does not require CPR training to operate; a user must simply turn it on and follow the simple voice commands.
“When I first came to San Benito High School, we had just purchased four AEDs and our athletic trainer had a portable AED that she brought to games,” said SBHS School Nurse Tess Smith. “Through a $12,500 grant given to HeartReady from Racing Hearts, San Benito High School received another portable AED and three additional stationary AEDs. In the Spring of 2018, we received a donation of an AED from Pacific Health Alliance San Benito Medical Associates Inc.” That AED was placed in the cafeteria, since that facility is used for school and public events.
The new AEDs received this year were added to the following locations:
- Football stadium on the back wall at the East end
- The Baler Aquatics Center
- The varsity softball field: currently on the outside of the dugout but to be moved inside of the home dugout
- The Multipurpose field attached to the right side of the large red storage shed
- In the teachers’ work room in the CTE (Career Technical Education). Will be relocated.
Sudden cardiac arrest can strike anyone, anywhere, Smith noted, including children. Every three days in the United States, according to health officials, a young athlete suffers such a cardiac event.
The other AED locations on campus are:
- The main campus nurse’s office
- The main campus Cafeteria
- Mattson Gym
- O’Donnell Gym
- Outside the weight room – to be moved to the varsity baseball home dugout
- Language Campus – staff lounge Room 368
- New Campus – staff lounge Room 480
- The 500 building – inside to the right of the door (soon to be shared with the new Science and Robotics building)
- Two portable AEDs are carried by SBHS Athletic Director Danielle Cote
