Eastern Shore Sun AUGUST 2021 19
SHIPLOADS STORES COMBAT CARDIAC ARREST WITH DEFIBRILLATORS SHIPLOADS has worked closely with St John Ambulance to install Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) in its stores across the state. There are 13 Shiploads stores across the state, as well as a warehouse and office at Cambridge, with each one now having been installed with an AED. Shiploads managing director Ashley Wilson said a Shiploads store recently had an incident that required the use of a defibrillator, and it highlighted the need for early access to an AED was vital in Shiploads stores. “We have registered the AEDs with Ambulance Tasmania, so they are available for members of the public, as well as the crew of Shiploads,” he said. “The easy access app ‘AED Tas’ is a vital link for members of the public to quickly find and access the life-saving support of an AED. “Shiploads values AEDs as another way to assist and connect with the Tasmanian community and urge
other businesses to contact St John Ambulance to discuss how an AED can be installed in their business.” St John Ambulance Tasmanian commercial operations manager Jeremy Bosworth said additional defibrillators in communities were needed. “With the chance of survival of sudden cardiac arrest dropping, without CPR and defibrillation, at approximately 10 per cent per minute, getting CPR underway and a defib on the chest within the first three to five minutes is paramount to saving a life,” he said. “More AEDs in the Tasmanian community equates to more defibrillators within five minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest victim. “St John Ambulance encourages places of business and residences to contemplate including the provision of a defibrillator for their workforce, customers and wider communities. “Once in place, opening up the accessibility of their
defibrillators by listing them on the ‘Early Access to Defibrillation Program’ is a great way of building community resilience and saving lives.” With approximately 30,000 Australians dying from sudden cardiac arrest every year, Mr Bosworth said St John Ambulance was committed to increasing sudden cardiac arrest survival rates and were proud to have launched the St John G5 Defibrillator. “The G5 Defibrillator uses advanced audio and video to guide first time users to apply defibrillation quickly and correctly,” he said. “A unique feature of this unit is the Australian accented audio prompts that helps calm the rescuer and ensure instruction is relatable and easy to act upon in a stressful situation. “The harsh reality is that without effective CPR and the use of a defibrillator, a person in sudden cardiac arrest will not survive, but with defibrillation and CPR they have up to a 70 per cent chance of surviving.”
From left, Shiploads managing director Ashley Wilson and St John Ambulance Tasmanian commercial operations manager Jeremy Bosworth.
Free Hepatitis C tests available in Rosny
Megan Hughes will be at the Rosny NSP every Friday in August to perform blood tests for Hepatitis C.
EVERY Friday in August, registered nurse Megan Hughes from Sexual Health Tasmania will perform free blood testing for the Hepatitis C virus in a welcoming, confidential environment at the Rosny Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) in the Clarence Integrated Care Centre. Ms Hughes said a simple blood test was the first step towards treatment that would cure someone of Hepatitis C. “Hep C is a bloodborne virus that damages a person’s liver,” she said. “The virus can be transmitted through the sharing of injecting equipment or if you get a tattoo done with equipment that hasn’t been sterilised, but it’s important to understand
that any blood-to-blood contact carries this risk.” “Symptoms can include tiredness, trouble sleeping, mood swings, anxiety and depression, nausea, and poor appetite, but it’s also possible to live with the virus without feeling sick, so the earlier you seek treatment the
better. “If you return a positive test, we’ll find out more about your liver health and give you a prescription for either an eight or 12 week course of one tablet a day that you can take straight to a pharmacy.” Free Hepatitis C
testing will be held at the Clarence Integrated Centre NSP, 18-22 Bayfield Street, every Friday in August from 9am to 4pm – the clinic is closed from 12:30pm to 1pm. No appointment is necessary and participants will receive a $20 gift voucher.
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