50 life-saving AEDs to be installed in Yerevan

The official opening ceremony of the  “Heart Safe City” initiative took place Tuesday in Yerevan.

With this initiative, Yerevan has become the first city in the region to implement such an innovative program in the field of public health. The event was attended by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan, HENAR Foundation Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Arman Voskerchyan, Foundation Executive Director Elena Abovyan, Project Manager Ani Davtyan, as well as representatives of partner organizations.

During the event, the program was officially announced. The functionality of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) was demonstrated on a mannequin, followed by the installation of a defibrillator in a specially designed box.

In his speech, Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan emphasized the importance of the initiative, noting that the installation of defibrillators in public areas is an effective means of providing emergency first aid.

"Yerevan Municipality, placing high importance on the health and lives of its citizens, has launched a program to install defibrillators in public spaces in partnership with the HENAR Charity Foundation. These devices are designed to provide first aid in emergency situations and can save lives before medical teams arrive. Yerevan is now the first city in the region to introduce such a structurally and technologically integrated solution in the public health sector," Avinyan said.

He added that defibrillators will be installed on streets, in parks, and in crowded public areas to create a new level of healthcare support.

“Yerevan should be not only beautiful and clean but also a healthy and safe city for everyone,” the Mayor affirmed.

Arman Voskerchyan, Co-Founder of the HENAR Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, noted that the “Heart Safe City” initiative was launched as a result of cooperation between the HENAR Foundation, the Philips Foundation, and the Yerevan Municipality, with the aim of creating a system capable of saving lives more effectively.

"Currently, 20 defibrillators have been installed, and another 30 will be added over the next two weeks. We already have about 500 trained volunteers, and by the end of the year, we plan to increase that number to 2,000," Voskerchyan said.

He also highlighted the partnerships with the Yerevan Ambulance Service and Yerevan State University, which serve as bases for implementing volunteer training programs.

"I thank all our partners and invite everyone to join this movement. I am confident that with joint efforts, we will make Yerevan a truly heart-safe city," he added.

The goal of the initiative is to increase the survival chances of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest by providing the right tools and technologies and engaging trained volunteers.