AED+ Program
Helping place life-saving equipment throughout Mercer County.
AED+ helps eligible organizations receive an automated external defibrillator, training, and ongoing support at no cost – strengthening the ability of people across our community to respond during a cardiac emergency.
What is an AED & Why are they important?
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a device designed to deliver an electric shock to people experiencing cardiac arrest, restoring the heart rhythm to normal. AEDs can be used by people who are not healthcare professionals; a tool with the potential to save lives before first responders arrive on the scene of an emergency.
According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, approximately 356,000 people in the US each year experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital, and of those, nine out of ten die. However, when bystanders have the tools and knowledge to intervene immediately, survival rates double or triple.
Buhl Regional Health Foundation is working closely with our partners, Allegheny Health Network Grove City, UPMC Horizon & Jameson Health Foundations, and Staying Alive, to increase cardiac arrest survival rates in our community by distributing AEDs to public facilities where they may most often be needed.
Since August 2022, 210 AEDs have been placed in Mercer County, PA through this initiative.
Current program status
Accepting Requests for 2027.
All 2026 AEDs have been allocated. Organizations applying now will not receive an AED until 2027.
What recipients receive
- An automated external defibrillator (AED)
- AED training
- Optional CPR training
- Annual check-ins
- Replacement batteries and pads as provided through the program
- Support from WovenWell and program partners
We used our new AED this morning on a cardiac arrest and succeeded in restoring a heartbeat. I received word from the ambulance staff that the patient was breathing on his own by the time he reached the hospital and was responding to auditory stimuli. We are so thankful for these new AED units. They are more user friendly than our old units and I think they’re also more effective.
Things to know
Is your organization in need of an AED with optional CPR training? Our application process is simple! Scroll down further on this page to complete your AED Request Form today!
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To qualify for an AED, your organization must have a physical address within Mercer County, PA. (Organizations in Lawrence County, please contact the UPMC Jameson Community Health Foundation to inquire about their AED program.)
- Organizations who have used an AED that was issued by Buhl Regional Health Foundation are asked to complete the AED usage form below in the orange box.
- BRHF will issue 1 extra set of pads per organization per year, and up to 3 extra sets per calendar year for first responders (as long as supplies last).
- AEDs will not be issued to individuals or private residences.
Please submit the AED Request Form below when you are ready to apply.
What is the process?
- Submit the application. Tell us about your organization, location, and need.
- WovenWell reviews the request. Demand may exceed the number of devices available in the current budget year.
- We communicate timing and next steps. Applicants may be placed on a waitlist or considered for a future distribution period.
- Approved recipients coordinate training and placement. Partners help prepare organizations to use and maintain the equipment.
Questions? Click here to contact Kateri.