Thanks to the generous support of the Lions Club of Ōmokoroa and Districts, the Omokoroa Settlers Hall proudly took possession on October 12 of a Meditrain AED Defibrillator unit – perfectly timed as it not only arrived during the Lions Club’s regular monthly meeting at the Hall,  it was also “Shocktober”. This was a month-long initiative, run by the ambulance service Hato Hone St John, aimed at teaching people the steps to take, such as chest compressions and using a defibrillator, when faced with a cardiac arrest or heart attack.

The Lions donation is truly amazing and it demonstrates their commitment in our community to care for others as well as the importance of better outcomes in critical situations like cardiac arrest.

The unit will be placed in the Hall Lobby area – although it is sincerely hoped that the unit will never be needed – the unit will serve all Hall Users and their Group Attendees in case of an emergency. As most of you will know, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Defibrillation are key links in the “chain of survival” – a process which can help save the lives of people in sudden cardiac arrest.

AEDs are used to analyse a person’s heart rhythm and shock a person’s heart back into normal function, if they are in cardiac arrest. Should the unit be needed, the OSH AED unit provides a step-by-step recording with clear, easy to follow instructions.

We would encourage a call to “111” in any emergency situation.