Four defibrillator donations help Lynnfield schools

LYNNFIELD – Lisa Pasciuto of the Paul J. Pasciuto Foundation donated three Zoll Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to Lynnfield Public Schools on Wednesday. The Zoll Corporation donated a fourth.”The Paul J. Pasciuto Foundation was founded to help prevent what my family has had to deal with, the loss of a loved one to sudden cardiac arrest,” said Pasciuto, who lost her husband at the age of 34 only four years ago this month. “In the hopes that we can decrease the chances of this event happening to individuals in our community, Paul’s family and I have made it our mission to have automatic defibrillators available throughout the town of Lynnfield and its school system.”The Foundation has worked for years raising money for scholarships, but has now turned its focus to purchase AED’s. Pasciuto said that she worked with Lynnfield Fire Capt. Michael Feinberg to ensure compatibility with current AEDs used by the town’s emergency response vehicles.So far, defibrillators have been installed in all but two Lynnfield schools. Nurse Leader Mary Homan said that the remaining two will be installed within the next week.”It’s great to have them here,” said Homan, who’s been a strong advocate for Pasciuto’s cause.”In the future, we will be adding three more units to our town,” said Pasciuto. “One each for the DPW Garage, Town Hall, and the Library.”Pasciuto said she hopes to continue with her AED donations across other communities, as well. The first stop will be Winchester, where her late husband grew up.”This is going to be an ongoing thing,” she said. “I’m going to stick with this. It’s definitely my mission.”Feinberg said that although legislation requiring schools and towns to carry AEDs doesn’t exist, he hopes that steps taken by foundations such as Pasciuto’s will create a trend.Pasciuto said the AEDs are intended for use by certified and authorized responders only, such as school nurses, athletic trainers, and high school physical education teachers.School nurses and the Lynnfield Fire Department will be available to properly train and certify individuals interested in using CPR or the AEDs. For more information, contact Feinberg at 781-334-5152.