Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati “Takes Charge” of AEDs in Cincinnati School Districts

Winning school district will receive 20 Zoll AED Plus^® units and first aid and CPR training from Cintas Corporation

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In honor of American Heart Month, the Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati introduces its Take Charge automated external defibrillator (AED) school program for local Cincinnati school districts. Twenty Zoll AEDs units will be installed by Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS), a leading provider of workplace first aid, safety supplies and training services. The program is made possible through a grant from Anthem, Inc.

Public and private K-12 schools are encouraged to submit nominations for Take Charge via the Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati’s Facebook page at www.AEDTakeCharge.com through March 31, 2020. Parents of students are also encouraged to nominate their child’s school for this program.

“According to the American Heart Association, more than 7,000 children were affected by sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) last year¹,” said Terry Karageorges, President of the Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati. “When a victim collapses from SCA, high-quality CPR and AEDs are their best chance of survival. We are grateful to Anthem, Cintas and Zoll for their support in providing a local school district with the tools and knowledge necessary to be prepared if SCA strikes a student, staff member or visitor.”

Representatives from Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati will select a winning school or school district to receive the AED unit which will include pediatric and adult pads, wall-mounted cabinets, First Aid/CPR/AED training courses and AED demos.

“Every second counts when treating sudden cardiac arrest,” said Katie Gough-Edwards, Director of Marketing for Cintas’ First Aid & Safety division. “By installing AEDs, schools have access to live-saving technology and the opportunity to play a critical role in the chain of survival when an emergency strikes. We hope this program raises awareness about SCA in schools and helps local schools be better prepared to save a life during a cardiac emergency.”

For more information about the Take Charge program or to nominate a school, visit the Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati Facebook page at www.AEDTakeCharge.com.

The Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati is a group of dedicated and local volunteers, many of whom have been affected personally by a child or grandchild born with a congenital heart defect. The organization helps to provide the best equipment, research and training for the Cardiology staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Cintas offers three of the major AED units in the marketplace – Zoll, Defibtech Reviver line, and Philips. Cintas also offers first-aid and safety products and services to help businesses prepare for and treat emergencies. For more information on Cintas’ products and services, please visit https://www.cintas.com/firstaidsafety/.

About Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati:

The mission of the Children’s Heart Association of Cincinnati is to inspire heartfelt hope in patients and families impacted by Congenital Heart Defects, as well as the medical practitioners that care for them, through the funding of groundbreaking research, global collaboration, and holistic well-being initiatives. Established in 1940, CHAoC is one of the oldest and most impactful congenital heart defect foundations supporting programs at the Heart Institute of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and through additional global collaborations.

¹ Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2019 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association

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