Community Champions: Bob Arrington and Janet Silver
It’s time to recognize a Community Champion, an honor given to people making a positive impact in the community.
It’s in partnership with Leaders Credit Union.
“There was a need for local heart money to stay local,” said Bob Arrington, a Friends of Heart Co-Chair.
Friends of Heart started in 2017 after community members noticed a need for local heart and vascular care initiatives.
“So we wanted to start a local fund so local heart money could stay local to help local people, save local lives,” Arrington said.
The organization provides communities in West Tennessee with automated external defibrillators, also known as AEDs.
“We give out AEDs all over the 19 counties. Saving lives is really the biggest initiative,” said Janet Silver, a Friends of Heart Co-Chair.
Friends of Heart has several initiatives such as community outreach, staff education, clinical research, and a first-of-its kind program in the nation called 4-Minute City.
“So the whole goal is that there will be an AED within four minutes of every citizen in the City of Jackson. We’re the first city in the country to do this. So we’re rolling out the model and they’re talking to another six to 10 cities, but Jackson is going to be the first,” Arrington said.
There will be 350 AEDs placed all over the city, and the program will train people on CPR and the AEDs.
“The true game changer is that once we put the AED on that person, they start getting all this data. It’s going to talk directly to the emergency room. So before that patient even gets to the hospital, the people in the emergency room already know their stats, already know if they had to be shocked. All this information that they would have to go over when they get there. It’s just going to save so many lives. And that’s what we’re so proud of being a part of,” Silver said.
They are now also testing students at local schools. Most recently was North Side High School.
“So many athletes that are dropping with the cardiac arrest, so we tested 200 students at North Side, free EKGs to them. And we intend to do all the schools, plus the private schools,” Silver said.
“And they did find some students that needed further testing. That too is us, Friends of Heart, being able to provide those kinds of services to the community,” Arrington said.
Arrington and Silver say heart health hits close to home for both of them.
“We’ve both had heart incidents. I had a heart attack back in 2007,” Arrington said.
“I went into cardiac arrest. Luckily, I was at the hospital when I went into cardiac arrest, so an AED saved my life,” Silver said.
“So us having heart issues helped us to develop and be a part of Friends of Heart. And most of the people involved are either, obviously, know somebody, family member, or them personally. So it’s a mission,” Arrington said.
If you know someone doing good in their community, you can nominate them for the Community Champion Award.
