New initiative could save lives

The Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce and Northside Hospital Forsyth introduced the 4-Minute City Program (4MC) last year. UNG Public Safety, on the Cumming Campus, is now a new participant in the program which will benefit both the campus and Forsyth County citizens. 

The initiative  installs automated external defibrillators (AEDs), portable devices designed to treat someone whose heart has suddenly stopped functioning, at strategic locations around Forsyth County. The program is only available in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania; Jackson, Tennessee; Carrollton, Texas; and now Cumming, Georgia.  

"4-Minute City is an initiative to place an AED within 4 minutes of each resident of Forsyth County," Dr. Ken Crowe, executive director of UNG's Cumming Campus, said. "Studies have shown getting a defibrillator to a person experiencing cardiac arrest within 4 minutes dramatically improves their chance of survival." 

The initial roll out for the program began in February 2023, but the first 300 AEDs being used for the program arrived this fall. Most of those devices will go to first responders. 

According to data from the chamber, only 4% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survive to hospital discharge, which is below the national average of 10%. Crowe shared it was a no-brainer when he learned about the program last year. 

"I love that the UNG Cumming Campus is able to partner with Northside Hospital Forsyth in this important program for our community. This brings an added level of safety to the Cumming Campus while also allowing our campus to serve our larger community as a location where an AED could be taken to help a resident if needed," Crowe said. 

Avive Solutions Inc. created the initiative in 2019, two years after being founded, and helps get AEDs placed with Avive Connect software.