|
Getting Started
The steps you follow in starting an AED
program for your local schools is no different from those followed by
those starting programs in businesses or public buildings. Your progress
through the steps and the resistance you experience can differ
significantly. What follows are some suggestions that may prove useful to
you.
- The impetus for AED programs
can come from any source. Perhaps a child died in your district or a
district nearby; or a parent is concerned because her child has cardiac
problems; or a local physician suggests that they be considered; or a
school nurse returns from a conference and is sold on their value; or, or,
or.
- Your planning committee
should be selected to include a couple parents. Teachers, administrators,
staff, school board members, a school nurse, coaches, and even a secondary
school student should be considered, but don’t exclude parents. Make your
committee as inclusive as you can without making it unwieldy.
- There is no group in the
world that is more cautious and conservative than your local school board,
Members will take no action, even if it is warranted, without the approval
of their solicitor. Before going too far in the planning process, let your
district’s solicitor know what you’re planning. This will give him or her
time to look at what other states and districts are doing before
formulating an opinion. You might speed the process by gathering articles
on the topic of liability for him (See National Center for Early
defibrillation).
- Use data specific to your
district when formulating your rationale
-
Include the number of
students who participate in school athletic programs and the number of
spectators who attend athletic competitions
-
Time the trip from the local
ambulance station to each school under ideal conditions. Then factor in
weather, traffic, and the fact that the only ambulance may be out on
another emergency when a call from the school comes in. Figure out the
best and worst case times and translate this data into the chances of
survival of cardiac arrest victims.
-
No group can be overlooked when planning your public awareness campaign,
but focus on the parents. When this group throws its support behind a
program, the school board listens. Parents with children in school are not
difficult to sell on the value of AED programs in schools.
- Funding is likely to be a
big question in getting the AED program off the ground. While it is
reasonable to expect that the cost of AED programs be covered by the
district’s budget, be prepared with back-up plans. Show how the money can
be raised within the community or how the program can be funded over more
than one year. Be sure to get at least one AED in one school. You will
have broken the ice making it much easier to get additional AEDs next
year. You may also get a boost from parents with children in other schools
who want to know why their children’s school is not protected. School
boards listen to parents.
|
