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New Lifesaving Equipment Coming to Pittsburgh Synagogues and Agencies

Type: News

Twenty-two AEDs ready to be delivered to area synagogues and Jewish agencies.

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) has announced the local distribution of 22 new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to area synagogues and Jewish agencies, a vital step in protecting the health and safety of the community. This builds on JHF’s Stop the Bleed initiative launched in 2016 and distribution efforts that extend all the way to 2007 to equip local agencies with lifesaving equipment and training.

Sudden cardiac arrest remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives each year. For many victims, survival hinges on how quickly someone nearby can respond with immediate care. Research shows that survival rates can increase from less than 10 percent to as high as 50 percent when AEDs are accessible and bystanders are trained to use them.

In response to this need, the JHF Board approved the funding to ensure that lifesaving equipment is available in community gathering spaces. Each participating synagogue or agency will receive an AED kit at no cost, provided that staff and lay leaders commit to CPR and AED training through the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

“This is about equipping the community not only with the right tools but also with the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency,” Nancy Zionts, MBA, JHF’s Chief Program and Strategy Officer. “The hope is that these devices never need to be used, but if the unthinkable occurs, the community will be prepared.”

The AED kits are designed to be simple, effective, and easy to locate in an emergency. Organizations are encouraged to place them in visible, accessible locations and to ensure that security staff and volunteers are aware of their presence. Alongside the distribution, JHF will follow up with each participating institution to confirm that staff and volunteers are adequately trained and confident in using the equipment.

JHF launched its Stop the Bleed initiative in September 2016 to strengthen emergency preparedness within Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, partnering with UPMC trauma surgeons to train more than 50 community leaders in lifesaving bleeding control techniques. The effort was inspired after Dr. Feinstein heard a presentation to the UPMC Board by Andrew B. Peitzman, MD, the Mark M. Ravitch Professor of Surgery and Distinguished Professor of Surgery at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

The push to supply Stop the Bleed kits to every synagogue in the city was also motivated by the increasing frequency of mass-casualty events nationwide and aimed to ensure that local congregations were equipped to respond quickly in the event of a crisis. This early investment in training and preparedness proved critical as Stop the Bleed techniques and resources were later credited with saving lives during the tragic Tree of Life synagogue shooting in 2018, as highlighted in this New Yorker article.

This initiative reflects JHF’s long-standing commitment to promoting health, safety, and preparedness throughout Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community. From earlier efforts like Working Hearts, which raised awareness about women’s cardiac risks, to the initial funding of AEDs in 2007 for Pittsburgh agencies and synagogues, the Foundation has consistently supported programs that reduce harm and save lives.

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