HCA Virginia Awards $10,000 to Expand CPR Education and AED Access Across Virginia

LewisGale Medical Center CEO Collin McLaughlin (left) and LewisGale Medical Center Emergency Services Director Dr. Zach Williams (right) present a ceremonial $10,000 check to Dr. Jack Perkins (center), founder of the Compress and Shock Foundation, during an AED and CPR training event in Roanoke.

 

ROANOKE, Va.  — More Virginians will be equipped to respond to cardiac emergencies thanks to a $10,000 donation from HCA Virginia to the Compress and Shock Foundation, supporting expanded CPR education and the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in communities across the Commonwealth.

 

The award, announced during National CPR and AED Awareness Week, was presented to the Compress and Shock Foundation by LewisGale Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Collin McLaughlin during an AED and CPR training event at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Roanoke. The funding brings HCA Virginia’s total investment in the foundation to $60,000 and will support the placement of 10 AEDs throughout Virginia while expanding access to free CPR education programs statewide.

 

“We are proud to continue our partnership with HCA Virginia to expand free access to CPR and AED education across Central, Northern and Southwest Virginia,” said Dr. Jack Perkins, founder and executive director of the Compress and Shock Foundation. “This support will enable us to acquire additional AEDs and strategically place them in communities that face the greatest barriers to cardiac arrest survival, including those impacted by disparities related to race, ethnicity, language and access to healthcare education.”

 

Since launching their partnership, HCA Virginia and the Compress and Shock Foundation have worked together to increase awareness of cardiac arrest, expand access to lifesaving training and improve the availability of AEDs in underserved communities. The latest investment builds on those efforts by providing both the education and equipment needed to improve outcomes when cardiac emergencies occur.

 

“What started as an investment in community education has grown into a meaningful effort to equip people with the knowledge, confidence and tools needed to respond in a cardiac emergency,” said HCA Healthcare Capital Division Associate Vice President of Community Engagement Chris Finley. “CPR training and access to AEDs are more than programs. They help build prepared, resilient communities where everyday individuals have the power to make a lifesaving difference when every second counts.”