NASHVILLE, May 2, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Premedics(tm) announced today it has completed a 51-mall roll out of a Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program for CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. This pre-EMS program includes Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), training and comprehensive program support services.
The CBL implementation is thought to be the largest shopping mall PAD program in the country. PAD programs are designed to decrease deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), an abnormal heart rhythm that kills more than 450,000 Americans annually.
Premedics, a national provider of turnkey PAD programs, trained more than 884 CBL employees and installed 99 Phillips Heartstream(tm) FR2 AEDs and TXO2(tm) emergency oxygen units in 51 shopping malls across the United States.
CBL has already deployed its life-safety equipment (AEDs and oxygen) more than 200 times, including 4 uses of AEDs that resulted in 3 saved lives.
"The program has been a good investment which clearly has benefited the communities which we serve," said Francisco Rojas, operations coordinator for CBL, a national developer and manager of regional malls, community and neighborhood centers. CBL implemented the Premedics Program at its properties to better serve its employees and customers, Rojas said.
"CBL has been very conscientious in its implementation of this program, insuring each of its properties has the very best support services, training, equipment and curriculum," said Brent Hetherington, president of Premedics.
"AEDs, oxygen and training are quickly becoming the standard package implemented by corporations to protect their employees and customers. Companies who implement these comprehensive Life Safety programs and demonstrate their commitment to saving lives see return on their investment in community partnerships, improved employee morale and enhanced public relations," Mr. Hetherington concluded.
Premedics, a Multi-Regional Training Center for the American Heart Association, developed a custom program for CBL. The American Heart Association recently launched Operation Heartbeat, a national, community-based initiative designed to improve survival rates from SCA by strengthening the "chain of survival" via the addition of AEDs. Shopping malls are among the top 10 locations where, studies show, SCA is most likely to occur.
About Premedics
Premedics, established in 1998 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, is a full-time third party management company offering comprehensive AED programs that include user training, equipment, equipment monitoring and service. Premedics serves users in 324 locations and 30 states. In 2001, clients relied on technology and training supplied by Premedics to respond to more than 300 life-threatening emergency medical events: 11 resulted in saves using AEDs. In the first quarter of 2002, Premedics clients used their AEDs 7 times. Premedics is a privately held Tennessee corporation.
About CBL & Associates Properties
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust which owns regional malls and community centers, primarily in the Southeast and select marketing in the Northeast and Midwest. The company owns/manages 158 shopping centers including 51 regional malls in 26 states totaling approximately 55.9 million square feet. The shares of CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CBL."