Thanks to the efforts of many community-minded businesses and individuals, students, staff and parents at all Alachua County public schools will have the benefit of life-saving technology.

Next year every school will be equipped with an automated external defibrillator (AED), a device that can ‘shock’ the heart back into rhythm after someone has suffered a heart attack or other dangerous, heart-related episode. There will also be staff members at each school trained to use the defibrillators.

The effort to place AEDs in all schools began with Dan Galligan. He’s a sales executive with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida and the parent of a band student at Gainesville High School. His son witnessed the collapse of a fellow band member in October from a heart problem. The student was revived by principal Wiley Dixon, who performed CPR, and has since returned to school, but for some time her survival and recovery were very much in doubt.

“I saw the devastation it caused, not just for her parents, but for all the students in the band,” said Galligan. “I decided I wasn’t going to let this happen to another student.”

Galligan first approached his bosses at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida with the idea of funding a defibrillator for GHS. However, they decided to take the idea even further, and began collaborating with the American Heart Association in Gainesville to raise funds for more AEDs.

The Heart Association hoped to raise $30,000 through its Heart Ball, the annual fundraiser which was co-chaired this year by Superintendent Dan Boyd and local insurance agent Perry McGriff. That would have been enough to place AEDs in middle and high schools. But thanks to a tremendous outpouring of support from individuals and businesses alike, the $30,000 goal was quickly surpassed.

The biggest boost came from AvMed Health Plans, which pledged $40,000 to the effort. When all the pledges were tallied, there was enough money to place AEDs in all Alachua County public schools.

“Our employees’ children are part of this school system, which is very important to us,” said Bob Hudson, President and CEO of AvMed Health Plans. “This contribution is also directly in line with our mission to improve the health of our community.”

“We were elated,” said McGriff. “This community really stepped up and did a great thing.”

Having the devices available on site can often mean the difference between life and death. Statistics show that a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest drops by 7 to 10 percent for every minute that he or she is not defibrillated.

“It’s wonderful that our students, staff and visitors will have access to this life-saving device,” said Boyd. “The impact of this contribution will be felt for years to come.”