Hospital da Luz Arrábida offered an automated external defibrillator (AED) to Colégio de Gaia, in the context of project “For a safer school – Let’s save lives together” (Para uma escola mais Segura – Juntos vamos salvar vidas). The delivery of the equipment took place recently in the school premises, with the presence of school board members, teachers and collaborators, and Hospital da Luz Arrábida representatives. The initiative is part of a series of social responsibility actions viewing to reinforce safety in school context, providing educational institutions with the necessary equipment to act in case of emergency such as a sudden cardiorespiratory arrest. In the context of this project, Hospital da Luz Arrábida teams have been also promoting awareness sessions and training in Basic Life Support (BLS) destined to the school community, aiming to qualify students and collaborators to respond swiftly and efficiently in critical situations. In addition, mandatory training on the correct use of defibrillators was provided to ensure school operators prepared to intervene in case of emergency. Cardiorespiratory arrest remains a major cause of death at world level. Immediate intervention through BLS manoeuvres and the resort to AED may substantially increase the chances of survival, when initiated in the first minutes. With this initiative, Hospital da Luz Arrábida reinforces its commitment to promote health literacy and proximity to the community, contributing to establish safer environments better prepared to respond to emergencies.
