(Batesville, IN) – Batesville City Council approved a $15,000 Belterra Funds request Monday night for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) initiative spearheaded by the Ripley County Community Foundation (RCCF), in partnership with Margaret Mary Health (MMH).
The community foundation hopes to leverage a $30,000 grant from The Christ Hospital’s “Project Heart Restart” program, and equip every police cruiser serving Ripley County with an AED.
RCCF Executive Director Amy Streator told council that 46 police cruisers are in service countywide – 14 of which serve the City of Batesville.
“No police cruiser has an AED machine in it, currently,” Streator said. “And in my conversations with not just (Batesville Police) Chief (Mike) Manus but around the county, it is my understanding that police officers, for the most part, would find a lot of value in having access to an AED machine.”
Streator says she was informed by Manus that his department lacks AEDs because they’re expensive to purchase, maintain and replace.
To provide the devices to all 46 cruisers, it would cost $71,786.22.
“Thanks to Margaret Mary Health’s ability to buy in bulk, and with some support from Christ Hospital, that $71,786 is at a discount,” she added.
Of that amount, Streator says it would cost $21,847.98 to provide the machines to the City of Batesville.
RCCF, MMH and and the Ripley County Health Department are working to build an endowment fund which would provide a perpetual funding source to help offset the cost to local police departments to purchase and maintain lifesaving equipment.
RCCF has outstanding grant requests to the county health department, Gilmore and Golda Reynolds Foundation, Black Trust and Firehouse Subs Foundation as funding sources for the program.
She added all Belterra Funds received would stay in the city.
After a few questions from council members, the request was approved in total.
Streator was joined in presenting the request to council by MMH Foundation Executive Director Jonathon Maple.
