By Lindsay Carey Staff Writer Hoops for Heart Health founder and former NBA player Ryan Gomes donated three automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to Southington Public Schools last week. Gomes and Wayne Simone, from Hoops for Health, visited the Municipal Center to present the defibrillators to the school system. If a person goes into Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), an AED provides an immediate response to their heart. This spares the victim the time of having to wait for care from an ambulance. The Hoops for Heart Health Foundation has been giving away defibrillators for eight years now, as a proactive effort to save lives. “Sometimes you don’t know you need a defibrillator until it’s too late,” said Simone. “We’re trying to be ahead of the curve.” School Nursing Supervisor Marie Bordonaro said that as a nurse she has seen firsthand the benefit of having an AED present in the event of an emergency. “The sooner the better to save a life,” said Bordonaro. The school system has been working on bringing AEDs into schools through funding and donations over the years. However the needs have not been completely met. When Bordonaro found out about the foundation through Director of Health for [...]
By Lindsay Carey Staff Writer Hoops for Heart Health founder and former NBA player Ryan Gomes donated three automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to Southington Public Schools last week. Gomes and Wayne Simone, from Hoops for Health, visited the Municipal Center to present the defibrillators to the school system. If a person goes into Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), an AED provides an immediate response to their heart. This spares the victim the time of having to wait for care from an ambulance. The Hoops for Heart Health Foundation has been giving away defibrillators for eight years now, as a proactive effort to save lives. “Sometimes you don’t know you need a defibrillator until it’s too late,” said Simone. “We’re trying to be ahead of the curve.” School Nursing Supervisor Marie Bordonaro said that as a nurse she has seen firsthand the benefit of having an AED present in the event of an emergency. “The sooner the better to save a life,” said Bordonaro. The school system has been working on bringing AEDs into schools through funding and donations over the years. However the needs have not been completely met. When Bordonaro found out about the foundation through Director of Health for [...]