Student health is one of the most important concerns to our student body right?
We think so. No, we know so.
Which is why we’re happy to hear Residential Life is planning to buy three automated external defibrillators for University apartments like Manor House, University Village and University Heights, and the Missouri Students Association Student Affairs committee is exploring the possibility of installing AEDs in more residence halls.
AEDs are medical devices used to treat life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, or sudden cardiac arrest. The device gives audio and visual instructions to the individual administering it to allow for the correct use of electrical pads to stop arrhythmia and return the heart to a regular heartbeat.
The problem is, MSA mentioned the possibility of buying more AEDs last year but never did put it to action. Additionally, there is now an AED in each residence hall complex, but that only equates to 7 out of the 25 buildings. If the numbers don’t strike a chord, think of it this way: A student who suffers cardiac arrest on the 4th floor of College Avenue Hall will have to wait for someone to sprint to Schurz Hall and back to receive treatment from an AED. The gap from McDavid Hall, which doesn’t have an AED, to Mark Twain, which does, is even larger.
According to the American Heart Association, cardiac arrest can lead to death within a few minutes. This is a potential fatality, and a potential lawsuit, waiting to happen.
We’re surprised that we don’t have an AED in every building. When we look at the cost, $1,200 for each AED, meaning $21,600 for an AED in every residence hall, our surprise wears off rather quickly, but not completely.
Although it’s costly, we’d hope that the price of student health is worth it, especially when we consider the Residence Halls Association recently had a rollover of almost $30,000 from last year. With that kind of money, the cost of installing AEDs in almost every building and taking a giant leap toward preparation against health emergencies is easily covered.
It doesn’t even have to be that drastic. With that amount of rollover, and an expected boost in the RHA Congressional budget of $9,000 more per semester from an increase in the social fee portion the RHA budget, we could set up a cost-effective, long term plan to install an AED in every building, even if the plan calls for an AED purchase every two years.
Although we thankfully haven’t had to use an AED at all in recent years, this is a matter that should have been addressed years ago, and not exclusively by the MSA Student Affairs committee, considering RHA looks after the students who live on campus. Sure, the fact we haven’t had to use an AED in the past is comforting, but try comforting the student who lost a friend to cardiac arrest because an AED wasn’t readily available.
AEDs are an important option to preventing fatalities from cardiac arrest; not everyone is trained in CPR.
If student health were a more important issue, we would have ensured an AED was installed after each completion of a new building. We know RHA has other projects in motion but if RHA can seriously consider putting money toward the implementation of an online movie streaming service for students in residence halls, it can definitely put money down to protect students’ health.
After all, better safe than sorry.