Announcement comes one year after University faculty member revived from cardiac arrest while at work.

On this Valentine’s Day, during American Heart Month, Averett University announces recent grant funding that will bolster the University’s heart health equipment and safety measures.

Averett received $15,000 from the *Community Foundation of the Dan River Region to purchase and install five additional automated external defibrillator (AED) units for its campuses across the region and to provide lifesaving safety courses for members of the University community.

The program developed through this grant includes a comprehensive plan outlining the optimal placement of AED machines on Averett’s campuses, taking into consideration factors such as geographical distribution, accessibility and proximity to areas with higher risks or activities more prone to sudden cardiac events. It ensures regular maintenance and monitoring of the AED machines for functionality and readiness and outlines routine checks, battery replacements, electrode pad inspections and necessary equipment upgrades.

For the Averett Family, this is pretty personal.

One year ago, Averett School of Nursing Associate Professor Karen Oaks suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while working in the University’s Riverview Campus. Oaks’ School of Nursing colleagues Wendy Childress, Jay Hatfield and Kimberly Lott, jumped into immediate action by starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), grabbing the University’s AED placed just 17 steps away, and initiating a shock, together resuscitating Oaks until first responders arrived to transport her to the hospital.

According to the National Institutes of Health, survival in people who have had a cardiac arrest is low, especially in out-of-hospital settings. With each minute delay in defibrillation from the onset of cardiac arrest, the probability of survival decreases by 10%. Early defibrillation – that within eight minutes of a cardiac arrest – has been shown to improve survival outcomes in these patients.

“Without my colleagues’ immediate assessment that I was in cardiac arrest and heroic action, and if that AED had not been so close, I likely wouldn’t be here today,” said Oaks. “I’m so grateful for this grant funding and to Averett for its commitment to enhancing the health and safety of all on our campus. I feel as if I’ve been given a second chance, and I will do all I can to help educate and prepare others to respond to heart health events.”

With this funding, Oaks, in conjunction with the University’s Office of Health Services, will do just that.

The grant also includes the training and certification of 130 faculty, staff and student leaders in CPR over the course of a year. This comprehensive training on CPR techniques includes hands-on practice and simulated emergency scenarios conducted by certified instructors or medical professionals.

Oaks has already presented on three different occasions to faculty, staff and recently to a class this semester to tell her story and demonstrate the use of the AED and CPR, and she is just getting started.

*Funds were granted to Averett through the grant from The Community Foundation, with the cooperation and financial support of the Danville Regional Foundation and P. Niles and Carol Daly.