The Vera City Council has taken a significant step in its commitment to the health and safety of its citizens and visitors by installing a cardioprotected totem in La Pérgola Square, thanks to the sponsorship of the Andalusian Heart Foundation. This new device will include an automatic external defibrillator (AED), thus expanding the network in the municipality.
With the installation of this new totem, there will now be 16 defibrillators and cardioprotected areas in Vera. The other fifteen are located in key locations with a high influx of people such as: the San Cleofas Senior Center, the Convent of La Victoria, the Bullring, the Las Viñas Football Field, the Blas Infante Pavilion, the Sports City, the Indoor Swimming Pool, the Ángel de Haro Primary School, the Reyes Católicos Primary School, the Cuatro Caños Primary School, the Vera City Council, the Vera City Auditorium, the Youth Center, the Local Police Headquarters, and the Immigration Office.
The Mayor of Vera, Alfonso García Ramos, emphasized the importance of having these devices in high-traffic locations to ensure a quick response in case of cardiac emergencies. “Every minute counts in a cardiac emergency, and with these defibrillators we are significantly increasing the chances of survival for our citizens,” the mayor stated.
Furthermore, the Territorial Delegate of Health and Consumption in Almería from the Andalusian Regional Government, Juan de la Cruz Belmonte Mena, stated: “Semi-automatic defibrillators are fundamental devices in the health system, as they play a crucial role in the care of cardiac emergencies. Their quick use can be decisive in saving lives in cases of cardiac arrest, so their presence in public spaces and in the hands of trained personnel is essential.”
The President of the Andalusian Heart Foundation, Dr. Lola Mesa, pointed out: “The Andalusian Society of Cardiology and its foundation are fully committed to making Andalusian cities and towns cardioprotected spaces, by sponsoring defibrillators on Andalusian streets, with a total of 19 cardioprotection totems to date. Now we are inaugurating a new defibrillator in the streets of the Vera City Council and on this occasion we are proud to have sponsored this defibrillator in order to make their beach and population a safer place.”
In addition, the Vera City Council also plans to carry out training sessions for the use of defibrillators, aimed at merchants and neighbors near the cardioprotection points. In this way, it ensures that more people are trained to act effectively in case of an emergency.
With this initiative, Vera positions itself as one of the best-prepared municipalities in terms of cardioprotection in the region. The City Council will continue working to expand this safety network and to offer its citizens and visitors a safer and healthier environment.
Each totem includes a defibrillator with an integrated communication device and connected 24 hours via SIM and GPRS, with remote control, teleassistance, preferential call to 112, and 24-hour geolocation of the defibrillator. In addition, each device has complete services that include maintenance, technical intervention, periodic proactive assistance, immediate replacement in case of incidents, periodic function tests, battery and electrode replacement due to use and/or expiration, extraction of an electrocardiogram in case of use within 24 hours, civil liability insurance, and assistance for query management.
In Spain, it is estimated that more than 30,000 cardiac arrests occur each year, which equates to an average of one cardiac arrest every 20 minutes. More than 85% of sudden deaths are of cardiac origin, 90% of which occur outside a medical center, and only 5% survive without consequences. The intervention period to save a victim is crucial. The first 5 minutes are essential; after that, every passing minute reduces the chances of survival by 10%. If a defibrillator is available, these chances can increase up to 70-90% in the first minutes. By implementing defibrillators outside the hospital setting, high mortality rates can be reduced and lives can be saved.
Referrer: MiMub in Spanish
