HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — What is the leading cause of death in the U.S.? Car accidents? No. Violent Crime? No. Cancer? Nope.
It’s heart disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says “One person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease in the United States.”
This is a harsh reality. It's so bad, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball says we are in a "state of emergency" when it comes to heart health.
Ball alongside Fire Chief Louis Winston, Police Chief Gregory Der, and Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan launched an expansion of Howard County’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program to combat this issue.
Consequently, 17 new AED "SaveStations" have been installed throughout parks in the area.
Law enforcement is also following suit.
"Half of Howard County police have AED devices in their patrol vehicles," said Police Chief Gregory Der. “This means our officers can be on scene with this life-saving equipment in a matter of moments.”
The boost in the availability of the AED units will ensure anyone suffering from cardiac arrest in Howard County will have an extra safeguard before paramedics arrive.
