It can happen anytime, anywhere. And when SCA strikes, seconds mean the difference between life and death. With each minute of elapsed time, the survival rate diminishes by 10 percent.

Thanks to a portable device called an automated external defibrillator (AED) and training in how to use it available through the American Red Cross, ordinary people can save lives. By delivering an electric shock to the heart, an AED can restore a heart's normal rhythm. Immediate use of an AED, in conjunction with CPR, could save up to 50,000 lives a year.

The American Red Cross strongly advocates increased public AED access and training. As a result, more and more public facilities are placing AEDs onsite wherever large groups of people congregate, including airports, shopping malls, office buildings and stadiums.

According to a recent study, a heart attack or SCA occurs mostly on Monday followed closely by Friday, the most stressful days of the workweek. SCA can strike anywhere, claiming victims right in the middle of their daily routine, at their desks, behind a store counter, while meeting with associates, or attending to customers. Since we spend most of our waking hours at work or school, it makes good business sense to protect our workplaces and schools against unnecessary death from SCA.

Timing is critical for survival, and only a defibrillator can deliver the electric shock to a heart and restore it to its normal rhythm that is interrupted when SCA strikes. Give your employees, coworkers and customers or students a fighting chance, have a defibrillator on site. Let the American Red Cross help you start an AED program at your organization.

It would be our pleasure to meet with you and discuss an AED program that will meet your organization's needs. If you should have any questions or would like to schedule a meeting, please call Chris Wylam at (570) 823-7161.