Throughout the summer and fall, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital has been working to distribute more than 90 LifeVac lifesaving choking prevention devices to area schools, police departments, emergency medical services and the community.

“This is a major win for Alliance and the surrounding community, as LifeVac already has a long track record of saving many, many lives throughout the U.S.,” said Ryan Jones, president and CEO, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital. “Along with the Alliance Community Health Foundation, we have set out to bring LifeVacs to Alliance-area schools as well as first responders. We want the community we serve to have access to this life saving device when it is needed most.”

The LifeVac devices have so far been distributed to five school districts, including Alliance, Louisville, Marlington, Regina Coeli and West Branch. In addition, more than 40 devices have been donated to police departments in Alliance, Goshen Township, Louisville, Marlboro, Sebring and Smith Township. The distribution includes training and implementation.

“We are grateful for the dedication of Aultman Alliance Community Hospital for implementing LifeVac in the Alliance Ohio community,” said Arthur LIh, CEO and founder, LifeVac, LLC. “The team at Aultman Alliance put the effort in to change the world. It’s an incredible honor to know them and support them.”

The team is also working on distributing to local emergency medical first responders in the community, including Alliance, Atwater, Beloit, Carrollton, Damascus, Deerfield, Hartville, Lexington Township, Louisville, Malvern, Marlboro, Minerva, Nimishillen and Sebring.

Following Aultman Alliance’s lead, the Stark County Board of Education, with help from the Stark County Emergency Healthcare Planning Committee, distributed LifeVacs to other Stark County school districts. The Eastern Stark County Safety Council also helped to distribute LifeVacs to daycare centers in Alliance.

Combined, these organizations have distributed more than 290 LifeVacs in the surrounding Stark County area.

Founded in 2012, LifeVac is the only portable, non-invasive airway clearance device registered and fully regulated by the FDA as a class II suction device. The device can save lives and is an essential tool to have when someone is choking.

LifeVac uses a one-way valve system which means that when applied, air vents outside of the unit and not into the person who is choking. The rescue device uses a short burst of suction, with minimal air volume, to mimic a forceful cough. When the handle of the plunger is pushed down, air escapes out the sides of the valve; when the plunger handle is pulled back, negative pressure is generated, and it suctions out the lodged material.

LifeVacs can be purchased at the Aultman Alliance Community Hospital Auxiliary’s gift shop or from LifeVac.net. Learn more at LifeVac.net.