Members of Wear Red for Women recently gave automated external defibrillators (AED) to three Sedalia hotels including Comfort Inn at 3600 West Broadway Boulevard, Holiday Inn at 4001 West Broadway Boulevard and Hampton Inn at 3909 West 9th Street.

An AED is a small, lightweight device that allows individuals and first responders to treat sudden cardiac arrest, which is when the heart unexpectedly stops beating. Having an AED nearby allows a bystander to deliver defibrillation to the victim in three to five minutes. The machine automatically analyzes the heart rhythm and when appropriate, it delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

Funds to purchase the device were raised during the 2023 Wear Red for Women luncheon and auction. The committee’s goal is to have AEDs in every place people work, learn, play or pray in Sedalia and Pettis County. Since the inception of the luncheon event in 2020, 72 AEDs have been placed in or committed to various locations. The 2024 Wear Red for Women event is February 23, 2024.