Nonprofit fundraising to purchase Hilton Head defibrillators

A nonprofit with the aim of preventing sudden cardiac death is raising money to place more Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) on Hilton Head Island.

Arrhythmia Alliance is encouraging locals to help raise the $2,000 necessary for the purchase, placement and publicity of the AEDs in the community, along with with community education events, training and aggressive resuscitation protocols for first responders and area hospitals, according to a news release.

The alliance already has placed AEDs in all Bluffton police cars, which were used to save two lives in the last month alone, the release said.

AEDs can be critical in increasing cardiac-arrest survival rates. The nonprofit reports 80 percent of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest could be avoided with the use of AEDs and CPR, according to the release.

The nonprofit is encouraging people to donate on Nov. 29 in alliance with a national movement, #GivingTuesday, which encourages charitable giving the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Those who are interested in the initiative can visit www.heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/us/giving-tuesday. For any other questions, to give a donation, or learn more about the organization, contact Samantha Horstman at s.horstman@heartrhythmalliance.org or call 843-415-1886, or visit the website www.heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/us.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Nonprofit fundraising to purchase Hilton Head defibrillators."