Helmsley Charitable Trust Awards $18.8 Million Dollar Grant for AEDs in Every Police Car in Minnesota

(KNSI) — The Helmsley Charitable Trust has given the University of Minnesota Medical School an $18.8 million grant to law enforcement officers and first responders across Minnesota with more than 8,300 automated external defibrillators.

The three-year project aims to equip every law enforcement vehicle in the state with an AED and train agencies to deliver immediate care before the arrival of Emergency Medical Services. Agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which typically do not have AEDs, will receive them for the first time.

Dr. Demetri Yannopoulos is the director of the Center for Resuscitation Medicine at the U of M Medical School. He says, “Defibrillators are one of the few known lifesaving technologies in cardiac arrest. We anticipate that hundreds of lives will be saved in the next few years by this effort. We are very grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust for their continuing trust and support in our center and state.”

AEDs should be applied within the first three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest to ensure the best possible outcome. The AEDs analyze heart rhythms throughout CPR, reduce pauses and allow for improved blood circulation to increase the odds of survival.

Distribution and training are expected to begin this summer.

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