Montreal, March 5, 2024 – The Jacques de Champlain Foundation is thrilled with the public’s enthusiasm for the “Make hearts beat, download the AED-Quebec app!” campaign, created to celebrate Heart Month. The initiative aimed to inform the public about the free mobile application and to emphasize the importance of its download. The app provides the locations of automatic external defibrillators “AEDs” available in public places throughout Quebec.

Since launching in 2015, the AED-Quebec app has been downloaded over 100,000 times and currently lists over 7,000 AEDs throughout the province. Information campaigns have been crucial in raising awareness about the app and the AED registry, enhancing the public’s ability to act swiftly during cardiac arrests. These efforts are integral to the Foundation’s mission of increasing cardiac arrest survival rates.

“We are extremely proud of the success of our AED-Quebec application, and of the mobilization that Quebecers have shown in saving lives. The presence of AEDs in public places and the early use of these devices by citizens at the scene of a cardiac arrest can triple the chances of survival! We will continue to work with various partners to optimize the use of AEDs by citizens throughout Quebec,” said Dr. François de Champlain, emergency physician and President of the Foundation.

It’s important to remember that the use of an AED can make all the difference between life and death in the event of cardiac arrest. These devices are accessible to anyone, with or without any prior training. The app provides step-by-step guidance for performing resuscitation and instructs the user on how to utilize the AED properly. It helps in identifying when and how to apply the AED, which then analyzes the victim’s heart rhythm and decides if an electric shock discharge is required.

The management and board of directors of the Foundation express their gratitude to everyone who supported our initiative during Heart Month. We, along with all our partners, are united in the goal of creating a legal environment that makes defibrillators more accessible to the public.

Since 2009, the Jacques de Champlain Foundation has been committed to improve resuscitation care and cardiovascular research in Quebec. With the support of the Quebec government, the Foundation has initiated the rollout of 1,000 additional AED units to be placed in public venues across the province within the next three years. This effort aims to increase the existing AED registry, ensuring a broader and more efficient public access to these life-saving devices.

About the Jacques-de Champlain Foundation
The Jacques de Champlain Foundation is a charitable organization whose mission is to increase the survival rate of victims of cardiac arrest by optimizing access and use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout Quebec.

Website: www.jacquesdechamplain.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fondationJdC
AED-Québec App:  https://www.jacquesdechamplain.com/projet-dea/

-30-

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Micheline Nalette
Senior Consultant, Communications and Marketing
micheline@c4com.ca
Mobile: 514-690-1220