Prior Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will donate 21 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to 10 different organizations, eight of them in the local area. Seven AEDs will go to the Scott County Sheriff's Office, which serves the county in which the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is located. AEDs are used to apply a lifesaving shock to an individual whose heart has stopped beating. Defibrillation is the only known therapy for most sudden cardiac arrests, according to the American Heart Association. This donation will put these lifesaving devices in the hands of personnel who are often the first on the scene of a cardiac emergency. The donation is valued at approximately $21,300.

The Mdewakanton Emergency Services Department administers the Mdewakanton LIFE program which donates defibrillators to charitable organizations, law enforcement programs, tribes, fire departments, and schools and provides free training on their use. Each donation includes a cabinet, extra batteries, and other supplies in addition to the unit itself. "We have defibrillators in many locations across the reservation and have had great success with the Tribal responders and equipment. Now we want to make sure others have that same opportunity," said SMSC Tribal Administrator Bill Rudnicki. Mdewakanton Emergency Services and Mystic Lake Casino Hotel Security officers have used defibrillators as part of their routine training and administering of assistance for Community members, staff, and guests for years. "Through the Mdewakanton LIFE Program, we have given away over 100 defibrillators since 2004."

The following Minnesota organizations will receive one AED each: Marystown Catholic Church (Shakopee), American Indian OIC (Minneapolis), Our Lady of the Prairie Church and School (Belle Plaine), Valley Family Practice (Chaska), Victoria Elementary School (Victoria), and the New Prague Police Department (New Prague). Two AEDs were donated to the Jordan Fire Department in October. Two out of area organizations received donations of AEDs. Four AEDs will go to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Ambulance Service in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. Two AEDs will go to the Walker, Minnesota, ambulance service which serves the Leech Lake Ojibwe reservation.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. Each year approximately 250,000 Americans suffer sudden death due to cardiac arrest; it can also affect children and teenagers. When someone collapses from sudden cardiac arrest, damage to the brain and other vital organs begins in as little as four minutes. Often the heart does not stop completely but goes into ventricular fibrillation, in which the heart quivers rapidly but does not pump blood. A shock from an AED can reverse this condition and prevent permanent damage and death, but only if it is delivered in the first few minutes after collapse.

In previous years the SMSC has donated defibrillators to local schools, fire departments, nursing homes, and other organizations. Organizations in need of an AED may write a letter to the SMSC Business Council and mail it to Mdewakanton LIFE Program, Mdewakanton Emergency Services, 2330 Sioux Trail NW, Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372. Inquiries may be made to 952-233-1077. A form can also be downloaded at www.mdefire.org.

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