The Colorado Rural Health Center facilitated the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s grant program to increase public access to AEDs in Colorado

Montrose, COLO.— Montrose County was recently awarded a free Automated External Defibrillator (AED) device through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The lifesaving AED device will be placed at the Montrose County Event Center and was made possible through the passage of Colorado House Bill 19-1183.

“The addition of an AED at the Event Center is big step forward in being able to address emergency medical situations in just seconds,” said Emily Sanchez, Fairgrounds and Event Center Director. “The AED awarded to our community will be located inside the Event Center under the grandstands and near the bathrooms.”

House Bill 19-1183 was passed to provide funding to place AEDs in public places across Colorado. An AED is a portable electronic device that diagnoses and attempts to treat cardiac arrhythmias. 12 AEDs were distributed across the state as a part of the funding provided through HB 19-1183.

The Colorado Rural Health Center, the State Office of Rural Health, was awarded a contract with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to place AEDs in public places to be accessible to any individual to retrieve and use during perceived cardiac arrest emergencies. This opportunity was only open to Colorado entities or people who owns, operates, or manages a public place capable of holding one hundred people or more to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted.

“The Colorado Rural Health Center has worked with CDPHE extensively in the past to provide assistance to emergency medical services agencies across the state. I cannot emphasize enough how important public access to these devices is to saving lives,” said Colorado Rural Health Center Emergency Services Programs Manager Ron Seedorf.

To learn more about the AED recently placed in Montrose County, please contact the Montrose County Event Center at 970-964-2180.

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About Montrose County Event Center

The Montrose County Event Center (MCEC) is the largest event center on the western slope of Colorado.  The facility, which opened its doors in 2018, is 93,000 square feet and offers a multi-functional arena floor, meeting space, fixed seating for 1,727 attendees, and total occupancy of 6,000.  

About the Colorado Department of Health and Environment

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is one of 16 cabinet‐level departments whose executive directors are appointed by the governor. The mission of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is to protect and improve the health of Colorado’s people and the quality of its environment.

About The Colorado Rural Health Center

The Colorado Rural Health Center was established in 1991 as Colorado’s State Office of Rural Health. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, CRHC serves dual roles as the State Office of Rural Health and the State Rural Health Association. The organization’s mission is to enhance healthcare services in the state by providing information, education, linkages, tools, and energy toward addressing rural health issues. CRHC’s vision is to improve healthcare services available in rural communities to ensure that all rural Coloradans have access to comprehensive, affordable, high quality healthcare. For more information visit www.coruralhealth.org, call 303-832-7493, or call toll free 800-851-6782 from rural Colorado.