Saving Hearts in Our Communities (SHOC)

Saving Hearts in Our Communities (SHOC) is Carver County's Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) program. PAD programs focus on making automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) available in public places for use with victims of sudden cardiac arrest.

The SHOC Committee convened by Public Health's Disease Prevention and Control Department is a sub-committee of the EMS Work Group. It is comprised of public health officials, emergency medical technicians, local fire department personnel and concerned citizens. SHOC is working to save lives in our community by increasing and improving awareness, access, and use of AEDs, as well as providing information from the American Heart Association on heart disease and prevention, the signs and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, emergency intervention, and follow-up care.

SHOC provides a registry of AED sites and a map of where AEDs are located in the county. This registry and specific location information can be accessed by 911 dispatchers to find the nearest AED in a sudden cardiac arrest emergency. The SHOC program also offers AED site management plans, maintenance schedules, information on training opportunities, and annual visits to AED sites.

To register an AED with the SHOC program and receive a management plan template, or for assistance in acquiring an AED, contact Carver County SHOC by calling (952) 361-1330 or e-mailing SHOC@co.carver.mn.us.

Please note that if you have an AED purchased prior to January 2006, you should contact your manufacturer to determine how to upgrade your AED to the new cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) standards.

SHOC provides the following documents for AED sites:

• Key Questions on AEDs
• SHOC Program Brochure
• AED Poster
• AED Management Plan Template
• AED Standing Orders 2010
• AED Maintenance Checklist
• AED Event Summary Form
• AED Site Registration Form 

Featured in SCA Foundation Magazine

The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation recently launched its "You Can Save a Life at School"™ national awareness campaign for schools. The campaign's magazine profiles SCA survivor Lucy Le May, a Chaska Middle School West teacher who was saved with CPR and AED use by parents and school staff on New Student Orientation Night. Another article, "Making the Case to Your School Board," features comments from Kristi Juaire, Licensed School Nurse and Health Service Coordinator for Eastern Carver County School District 112.

SHOC recognized the one-year anniversary of the CPR/AED save in Carver County during National CPR/AED Week June 1-7, 2009 by submitting the press release Chaska teacher marks one-year anniversary of being saved from cardiac arrest to local newspapers.