WGBA -Grant Equips COTS to Deal with Medical Emergencies
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The staff at two COTS transitional housing shelters will be better equipped to deal with medical emergencies like one that ended in a resident's death last October with the addition of two automatic external defibrillators paid for by a grant from the Appleton Cardiology Associates Community Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.
The grant was part of $3.1 million awarded to 380 nonprofit organizations through the Community Foundation for the quarter that ended Dec. 31.
Unfortunately, the COTS request resulted from a tragedy. The evening of Oct. 9, 2008, a resident named Alyson, age 26, suffered a cardiac event and died at the COTS women's housing facility at 1003 W. College Ave. in Appleton, despite the manager's efforts to administer CPR.
"It was traumatic and tragic for everyone who knew her," Todd Sutton, COTS executive director, said. While it's impossible to know whether having an automatic external defibrillator
(AED) would have saved Alyson's life, Sutton said COTS was determined to have them available should a similar situation arise again. The units, costing about $1,500 each, can be used by a person without formal medical training to administer a shock to attempt to restore a normal heartbeat to a heart attack victim.
The next day, COTS held its annual meeting and Alyson's death was mentioned in one of the testimonials from residents who had improved their life circumstances by living at the shelter. Through a Community Foundation staff member present at the annual meeting, Appleton
Cardiology Associates officials learned of the need at COTS.
"The focus of this funding source perfectly matched our needs, which made the application process simple," Sutton said. "Purchasing and installing AED equipment at our shelters is an important response and appropriate safety measure that should be in place."
The advisory committee for the cardiac care practice's charitable fund within the Community Foundation approved a grant of $3,000 to purchase two AEDs - one each for the men's and women's facilities. The Appleton Cardiology Associates Community Fund supports projects and programs that promote community health in the area served by the medical practice. Appleton Cardiology Associates also offered COTS training in CPR, first aid and how to operate AEDs.
The $3.1 million in Community Foundation grants for the past quarter were awarded from charitable funds established by individuals, businesses and organizations who partner with the Foundation to help them fulfill their current and future charitable dreams. Grants benefited the following types of nonprofit projects during the quarter:
Human Services: 34 percent
Education/scholarships: 31 percent
Health: 10 percent
Environment: 8 percent
Religion: 7 percent
Community Development: 6 percent
Arts and Culture: 4 percent
The Community Foundation is dedicated to strengthening the community for current and future generations by helping people make a difference in the lives of others. For more information on Community Foundation grants, go to the "Grants" section of www.cffoxvalley.org.
