The Coweta County School Board recognized Piedmont Newnan Hospital for a donation of $15,000 to the Coweta County School System, at their regular monthly meeting on October 9.

Piedmont-Newnan made the donation for the 2018-2019 school year to purchase ten new automatic external defibrillator units for Coweta County schools.

“It’s our privilege to make this donation to show support for our community.,” said Newnan Piedmont Hospital CEO Mike Robertson. The Coweta County Superintendent and Board members, and Coweta County School System Head Nurse Sally Millians, thanked Robertson and Piedmont for the donation, and recognized Piedmont-Newnan Hospital as one of the school system’s largest and most important community partners.

“Speaking for the entire School Health Department, I want to thank Piedmont Newnan Hospital for their ongoing support, namely Mrs. Vicki Kaiser, Mr. Michael Robertson, and the Piedmont Newnan Board of Directors,” said Millians.

Millians said that since 2007 in Georgia schools, there have been 107 saves, 54 adults and 53 students, with the use of AED devices.

“So far this school year in our state, there have been 5 cardiac arrests saves, but thankfully we have not had any in our county,” said Millians.

The funds donated by Piedmont-Newnan were made available through Piedmont Newnan Hospital’s community benefit program and will directly make a positive impact on the health of students.

Piedmont-Newnan’s 2018 donation has been used to replace ten of the school system’s original AEDS, which were purchased in 2003 for Coweta’s middle and high schools. The school board was “proactive in their decision to place AEDs in our secondary schools,” well before Georgia legislation was passed in 2008 requiring them, Millians said.

Coweta County Schools today have at least one AED in every Coweta County elementary school, at least two in every middle school, and at least three in every high school, as well as AEDs in school administrative buildings, including the new transportation facility and the Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts.  

The units are strategically placed to respond within five minutes of any medical emergency on a campus. An AED drill is also carried out at least once a semester in every school.

The new units are being purchased through AED Brands, a Georgia-owned and operated company.  The new units have increased in sophistication in recent years, said Millains, and the allow data from the unit to be downloaded through a data port to assist physicians in possible diagnoses as well as collecting data for research for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Project SAVE and the Sibley Heart Center of Atlanta.

Superintendent Steve Barker thanked Piedmont-Newnan for their generous donation, and also commended Piedmont CEO Robertson as “more than a business partner, but also a parent and community leader.”