Published on June 23, 2016

UNC REX Healthcare Donates Traveling AED to North Carolina Symphony

 

RALEIGH, NC – UNC REX Healthcare (UNC REX) is proud to donate an automated external defibrillator to the North Carolina Symphony, improving the odds of survival if someone at a concert has a life-threatening cardiac event. The life-saving device will travel with the Symphony. Every year, the orchestra performs more than 175 concerts, including about 60 concerts in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area.

On Saturday, June 25, a representative from UNC REX will formally present the device at the UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest concert The Music of David Bowie. Violinist Maria Meyer will accept the gift on behalf of the musicians and staff of the North Carolina Symphony. The presentation will take place just before the start of the performance at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre.

“No matter what setting you’re in, if someone has a cardiac event, it’s frightening,” said North Carolina Symphony President and CEO Sandi Macdonald. “Having a traveling AED from UNC REX helps us rest assured that help is always nearby for our musicians, staff and audience members. Our Symphony staff and musicians are also now trained to assist in the rare case that assistance is needed.” 

UNC REX encourages all citizens to educate themselves on the warning signs of a heart attack and to seek out AED training for their workplaces. The warning signs include chest pressure that lasts for more than a few minutes, shortness of breath, or pain in other areas such as the arms and neck.

“AEDs are becoming more common in workplaces and public venues, which could mean the difference between life and death in some situations,” said Tom Williams, vice president of Ambulatory Services at UNC REX. “Our hope is that by donating an AED, providing training on how to use it and raising awareness around the warning signs, we can help save more lives across our community and beyond.”

UNC REX is committed to improving the overall health of our community, and increasing wellness, prevention and education related to cardiovascular disease. A new mobile heart vehicle recently hit the road to provide screenings and demonstrations at employers, community events and more. And the new, state-of-the-art North Carolina Heart & Vascular Hospital under construction on the main Raleigh campus will serve as a destination for the latest care and treatment, as well as prevention and education. The hospital is expected to open next year.

 

The AED will travel with the North Carolina Symphony for upcoming concerts in July, including:

  • Free Independence Day celebration concert at Fayetteville’s Festival Park, July 1 at 8:00 p.m.
  • Annual “Stars and Stripes” concert in the Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College in downtown Wilmington, July 2 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Free Independence Day celebration concert at Garner’s Lake Benson Park, July 3 at 8:30 p.m.
  • Free Independence Day celebration concert at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre, July 4 at 7:30 p.m.

 

About the North Carolina Symphony

Founded in 1932, the North Carolina Symphony gives more than 175 performances annually to adults and school children. An entity of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the orchestra employs 66 professional musicians, under the artistic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry, and Associate Conductor David Glover.

Based in downtown Raleigh’s spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and an outdoor summer venue at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., the Symphony performs about 60 concerts annually in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary metropolitan area. It holds regular concert series in Fayetteville, New Bern, Southern Pines and Wilmington—as well as individual concerts in many other North Carolina communities throughout the year—and conducts one of the most extensive education programs of any U.S. orchestra. Visit ncsymphony.org for more information.