PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – United States
Northern Command, in coordination with U.S. Consulate General in Hermosillo,
Sonora purchased $15,000 worth of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) under
the Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster Assistance and Civic Aid (OHDACA) program
in line with DOD
Global Health Engagement efforts.
This project was in support of the Secretary of
Health of the State of Sonora (Secretaria de Salud de Sonora) continuing
efforts to improve their health services capabilities and to promote goodwill
between the U.S. government and the people of Mexico.
OHDACA appropriations are administered by the
Defense Security Cooperation Agency and distributed to the Geographic Combatant
Commands for management and execution.
The Consulate General of the United States in
Hermosillo donated the defibrillators to the Secretary of Health of the State
of Sonora.
The delivery of these AEDs will be coordinated
between U.S. Consulate and the Secretaria de Salud de Sonora to five general
hospitals and three health centers in the State of Sonora, in support of the
families of the region.
The centers that will directly benefit are
the General Hospitals of Ures, Moctezuma , Guaymas , Navojoa and Alamos, as
well as the Rural Health Centers of the Bay of Kino, Miguel Aleman and the
Urban Health Center of Empalme, which will provide services to approximately
90,000 Mexican citizens within the region.
According to a study conducted in 2012 by the
Instituto Nacional de Estadistica y Geografia (National Institute of Statistics
and Geography), heart disease is among the leading cause of death in people 65
years and older in Mexico, usually occurring as sudden cardiac arrest. These
AEDs will augment the capabilities of health providers and first responders to
improve the chances of cardiac arrest patients to survive.
These AEDs are also suitable for use by minimally
trained personnel as the devices provide instructions in a loud and clear voice
that guides the user throughout a high stress resuscitation scenario. This equipment
is considered safe to use because it analyzes the heart rhythm of the
incapacitated person and determines whether it is necessary and will permit use
of the defibrillator or not.