Top Five Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Unit Challenges for Global Organizations

-By Micah Bongberg Google+ | @annuvia

SAN FRANSISCO, CA – Global businesses face many challenges above and beyond those faced by domestic (United States) organizations, in providing uniform, consistent health care services on an international level for each of their facilities. Commonly, these challenges can lead to uneven coverage gaps.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is not a domestic phenomenon. “Both foreign and domestic businesses experience medical emergencies. Both have vast experience with Sudden Cardiac Arrest. And both should have all available therapy options available to their employees, guests and the community where they are located – including Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs),” states Micah Bongberg, President of Annuvia, a San Francisco, Ca-based organization that distributes AED units and provides CPR, AED, and First Aid Training.

Global businesses experience numerous challenges dealing with a multitude of varying country’s laws and regulations. As a result they may refrain from expanding safety-related programs on an international basis. Aside from reducing the proximity of life-saving therapy available and, perhaps, experiencing preventable death, such decisions can lead to resentment and diminished morale among employees located in an organizations international locations. Among the many challenges faced by global businesses when attempting to pursue international AED installation without proper guidance and consultative expertise from experienced professionals are the following:

1. There are no internationally-recognized legal standards governing AED ownership and maintenance.

2. The investment of each AED unit varies from country-to-country.

3. Taxes, tariffs, and currencies vary from site-to-site.

4. International Customs regulations commonly slow the process.

5. CPR/AED training requirements and providers are hard to find. For instance, AED units are readily available, with few regulations in Canada, while Taiwan requires advanced training, similar to the EMT-level found in the United States.

“Rather than accepting the status quo and only providing life-saving protection for an organization’s domestic employees, Annuvia has added a new practice focused on providing International AED Consulting services to businesses of all sizes. Our goal is to help large, global businesses navigate the maze of international regulations, to help them implement system-wide programs – for all of their employees,” says Bongberg.

Annuvia’s International AED Consulting practice will offer several customized service offerings, including: negotiating with international AED distributors, preparing quotes and ordering equipment, conducting virtual site assessments, ensuring customs clearance, and researching CPR & AED training requirements as well as country-specific AED-related laws on their clients’ behalf. As a distributor for the leading AED unit manufacturers and national provider of CPR/AED and First Aid training services, Annuvia is able to offer a unique, first-hand perspective that is currently non-existent for large, global organizations. Combined with Arch, Annuvia’s AED Medical Direction and Oversight program, Global organizations can manage all locations, sites, AED units, and CPR/AED trained responders from one user-friendly dashboard in real time.

To learn more about Annuvia’s new International Consulting Practice, contact Annuvia at: info@annuvia.com.