Temple Emanu El in Orange recently received a new automated external defibrillator, or AED, donated by the 4Alec Foundation, a local nonprofit that brings awareness about youth heart disease.
Stephanie and Scott Kornet, co-founders of the 4Alec Foundation, presented the AED to Ellie Gulling, early childhood education director, and Rabbi Matt Cohen on Oct. 15 for placement in the temple’s preschool.
In late June, the temple emailed its congregation requesting donations to purchase a second AED to be placed in the preschool. Its first AED is near the entrance. Stephanie Kornet received the email from her parents, temple members Les and Betty Greenberg, and contacted the temple to donate the AED, the release said.
“Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can strike at any time and at any age,” Stephanie Kornet said in the release. “Unfortunately for children, the standard of heart care isn’t where it should be. With our son Alec, he was walking around with an enlarged heart and we didn’t know. In 2017, he died at age 17 from sudden cardiac arrest at hockey practice. So it’s important that people know that anyone can do CPR, anybody can use an AED – even a six-year-old. And every minute counts.”
From January 2017 to February 2018, there were five SCA deaths in youths in Northeast Ohio, according to Stephanie Kornet, the release said.
“The safety of our congregants, staff, and visitors is a top priority of Temple Emanu El,” Executive Director Renee Delafranconi said in the release. “We know how important a quick response is, so the AED donated by the 4Alec Foundation improves our ability to react in case of a sudden cardiac arrest.”
According to the American Heart Association, an AED is an easy-to-use medical device that can restore a normal heart rhythm to someone who has gone into cardiac arrest. The average cost is $1,000 to $2,000. If a cardiac arrest victim is defibrillated within the first three minutes from collapse they have a 70% chance of survival. Ohio’s Good Samaritan law grants qualified immunity from civil liability to anyone, trained or not, who uses an AED.
“We are so honored to receive this AED from the 4Alec Foundation,” Cohen said in the release. “It is the embodiment of ‘ikuach Nefesh,’ the concept that saving another person’s life takes priority over all other commandments. And with its placement in the preschool wing, the life-saving technology will be so much closer to our students and staff if it is ever needed.”
Cohen also noted the staff and some lay members received CPR, AED and first aid training in August.
“The placement of the second AED will potentially cut in half the distance and time needed for access, offering greater peace of mind to everyone in the building,” Temple Emanu El president Mitchell Cronig said in the release.
