Starting Hearts Places First SaveStation in Colorado

This article first appeared in the Vail Daily on October 10, 2019.

Starting Hearts, Vail Health, and the Town of Avon will unveil Avon’s new SaveStation on Friday at 4 p.m. at the main Avon bus stop. A SaveStation is a defibrillator tower and cabinet that provides a temperature-controlled environment to keep defibrillators ready for use in the most inclement weather.

SaveStation also provides high profile recognition for easy location when needed. The unveiling event will include a short presentation from Avon Mayor Sarah Smith Hymes and representatives from Starting Hearts and SaveStation. The public is invited to attend. This is the first such placement in the State of Colorado.

“Vail Health has partnered with Starting Hearts to support the purchase and widespread distribution of defibrillators in Eagle County with the goal of saving lives,” said Vail Health CEO Will Cook in a news release. “The new SaveStation technology is critical to our effort.”

SaveStation features an audible alarm, photo control, night lighting, back-up power, LED screen indicating cabinet status, and real-time reporting of the defibrillator’s ready status, connectivity, and temperature. Remote monitoring is provided over a cellular network.

“The Town of Avon is proud to host the first SaveStation in Colorado,” Smith Hymes said. “We are excited to see the SaveStation movement continue to grow so that more people can become aware of nearby defibrillators during instances of cardiac arrest.”

Carly Jackson, the director of community engagement for SaveStation, added: “We are thrilled to see the first outdoor SaveStation placed in Colorado, protecting everyone 24/7, 365 days a year. We hope this inspires other community leaders to sponsor the placement of futures SaveStations in this area, as in sudden cardiac arrest every second matters. Without quick access to a defibrillator, the chance of survival is only ten percent. We are so pleased to see Starting Hearts champion this amazing public safety initiative.”

To make SaveStation possible, the Town of Avon and Vail Health provided supporting grants to Starting Hearts.

“This is an exciting and unique initiative that demonstrates how government, healthcare, and nonprofit can work together to insure the safety of our citizens and visitors,” said Alan Himelfarb, the executive director of Starting Hearts. “We are so pleased and honored to work with these colleagues and consummate professionals.”