In October of 2022, the Campbell Police Department responded to a medical emergency at the Campbell Community Center. Ryan Chian, a 15-year-old athlete practicing basketball with his teammates, collapsed due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). It was the swift response of Campbell Recreation lifeguards that provided first on scene medical attention as they initiated CPR and readied an AED. It was the collaborative effort of the first responders involved, coupled with the AED that played a pivotal role in Ryan's miraculous recovery.
Out of appreciation for saving their son’s life, the Chian family reached out to the Campbell Police Department to make a donation of AED devices to help continue to save the lives of those in our community. This donation coincided with the Campbell Police Department's ongoing efforts to upgrade and advance its AED inventory with state-of-the-art technology through Avive Solutions.
Campbell Police Chief Gary Berg said, “The Campbell Police Department takes immense pride in leading the way with technology, constantly introducing innovative solutions to safeguard the Campbell community. In line with this commitment, we are excited to partner with Avive to bring new AED technology to Campbell.” Avive Connect™ AEDs employ GPS technology to swiftly locate the nearest AED device within Campbell. These advancements put the power of saving lives into the hands of everyday community members, with the goal of increasing the likelihood of a positive outcome.
Unfortunately, nearly 90% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are fatal, but the chances of survival increase if a patient received early defibrillation. Avive created one of the most advanced AEDs in the industry being portable, accessible, and connected. The device is smaller and lighter than any other AED on the market and brings forth never-before seen features that improve the lifesaving capabilities of any professional responder or bystander. Sameer Jafri, co-founder and CEO of Avive Solutions shared, “we are pleased to partner with Campbell Police Department and be part of their effort to increase sudden cardiac arrest survival rates throughout their community. Avive was created in San Francisco and being able to bring our innovative AED and comprehensive response system to our neighbor, Campbell, is an exciting milestone for our company.”
The Campbell Police Department statistics from 2022 speak volumes about the urgency of our mission. Campbell officers responded to over 1800 medical calls and among these calls, many involved the use of CPR or an AED. By deploying 30 Avive AEDs across Campbell, community members gain the resources needed to take immediate action when someone experiences a Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
The story of Ryan Chian is a vivid reminder that every second holds immeasurable value. As we near the deployment of our Avive technology on September 5, we aim to raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the significance of knowing AED locations in our community. To help amplify our efforts, we have teamed up with the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation to host a free heart screening event for the youth our community. Founded to honor the life of Kyle Taylor and bring awareness to SCA, the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation has provided free heart screenings to countless youth throughout our community, including athletes in the Campbell Union High School District. “Heart Screenings are critical to detection. Often the sudden cardiac arrest is the first sign. Parents need to take that first step towards prevention. We need to raise awareness in the community to be prepared for a response. Yearly 23,000 youth are affected by SCA and only 10% survive. This is not rare!” stated Jennifer Sarmento, Kyle’s mom and the Executive Director of the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation.
The Campbell heart screening event will be held on Saturday, October 28, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Orchard City Banquet Hall in Campbell. All those between the ages of 12 to 25 are invited to participate. To secure a spot, kindly register via the following link: https://campbellca.gov/heartscreening.
It's through these collaborations with Avive and the Kyle J. Taylor Foundation that we aspire to empower our community and change the outcomes of these life altering events.
