Community Heart Health & AEDs with TidalHealth

SALISBURY, Md. – In this week’s Health Beat, brought to you by TidalHealth, WMDT spoke with interventional cardiologist Dr. Steve Hearn about how the community can help protect one another’s heart health.

Symptoms of cardiovascular issues can include chest pressure and tightness, shortness of breath, and even nausea. Dr. Hearn says that when patients experience these symptoms for more than a few minutes, its essential that they call 911 and receive medical attention as soon as possible.

“We still have about half a million sudden deaths each year from heart disease, still the number one killer in the country,” he tells WMDT. “And the sooner you get medical attention, the more preventable that is.”

Dr. Hearn is a member of the Salisbury Paramedic Foundation, an organization founded in 2023 that aims to improve the heart health of the community. He says the group is comprised of about a dozen community members, and their current project is implementing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) around Wicomico County.

“We plan to put 60 AEDs around the county and around the city,” Dr. Hearn says. “We put our first one, a little over a year ago, at the City Park bandstand. And, we’re in the process of placing the 10 or 11 more.”

Dr. Hearn says the goal is put them at high volume places where they are accessible to the public. He tells us that while CPR is helpful, if performed incorrectly it can cause a trigger fibrillation shock. AEDs are more guaranteed to bring back individuals suffering from heart failure.

“There’s directions there and it talks to you. It tells you what to do, how to do it,” Dr. Hearn says, describing how the AEDs work. “So anybody can grab one and use it if somebody collapses.”