NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We all remember the scene of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffering a cardiac arrest on live television in January 2023 during an NFL game.
He lived thanks to the quick work of the team's trainers and an AED.
The miraculous save seen around the world inspired the NFL to create the Smart Heart Sports Coalition. One of its goals leads right back here to Middle Tennessee.
The coalition wants to make sure AEDs are in more places, especially where kids are. To make that happen, they launched a program called AEDS for Youth. Darmar Hamlin is backing it, and Coro Medical — a Middle Tennessee AED supplier — is bringing it to life.
Inside Coro Medical’s Brentwood warehouse is shelf after shelf of small but mighty machinery designed to save lives.
CEO Travis Harris is proud of his company’s growth.
“Coro Medical is one of the leading providers of AEDs in the U.S," Harris said.
He’s also proud of a new partnership with the NFL.
“The goal is to get more AEDs in every school, in every athletic venue, in every underserved community that we possibly can, so they can survive a cardiac arrest event just like Damar Hamlin did," Harris said.
Coro Medical is doing that through the AEDs for Youth program — offering AEDs at a discounted price. One defibrillator can cost anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000. A cost that is not always in the budget for schools or youth sports leagues. Through the AEDS for Youth program, Coro Medical is reducing that price by 20 to 60% depending on the AED model.
“For example, if it’s someone in a border state they may need a bi-lingual AED. If it’s someone who has pediatrics, they may want something with adult and pediatric capabilities without the addition of a pediatric pad,” Harris said.
Harris has been in the AED business for 19 years. He knows the specifications of every model. He also knows sometimes it's about more than the bottom line.
“It does make good business sense because it’s part of our mission. We want to give back and it also creates more awareness around the Smart Heart Sports Coalition.”
If you are in need
Coro Medical is not only cutting the price on AEDs for schools and youth sport leagues, but they are also giving one AED away each day next year. They're calling it Project AED 365.
To find out more about AEDs for Youth: https://smartheartaeds.com/
To apply for a free AED through Project AED 365: https://smartheartaeds.com/pages/project-aed365
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at emily.west@newschannel5.com.
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-Rebecca Schleicher
