County Commissioners purchase AEDs for Gainesville and Bakersfield festivals
Kelly Marsh, who helps organize Bakersfest each year (above) and Hootin an Hollarin chair Paula Rose and committee member Gabe Blackburn (below) accept automated external defibrillators purchased by the Ozark County Commissioners using money from an opioid settlement received by Ozark County and hundreds of other municipalities. In the photo at left, (pictured from left) is Ozark County Clerk Brian Wise, Ozark County Presiding Commissioner Terry Newton, Marsh and Eastern District Commissioner Jim Britt. In the photo at right, is Wise, Rose, Britt, Western District Commissioner Layne Nance and Blackburn.
An incident at Gainesville’s Hootin and Hollarin festival this September brought to light the need for festival organizers to have access to automatic external defibrillators. The Ozark County Commissioners recently responded to that need by purchasing two AEDs - each specifically designated for use at two of Ozark County’s most popular festivals, Hootin an Hollarin in Gainesville and Bakersfest in Bakersfield.
The incident occurred Saturday, Sept. 20, when a woman collapsed in the alleyway between the Ozark County Times and Ozarks Healthcare Pharmacy. When medical personnel said they needed an AED, Times editor Jessi Dreckman rushed to the courthouse to fetch the one she knew was inside. The courthouse doors were locked, but Ozark County Collector Darla Sullivan was sitting nearby and handed her keys over to Dreckman. The AED was retrieved and used to restart the woman’s heart. However, the limited access to the AED unit brought to light a previously unforeseen problem. Because the courthouse is locked during the festival, there is no access to that AED. So the commissioners decided to purchase the AED for Hootin an Hollarin - and also Bakersfest, both held each September. The festival committees will decide where each device will be located during the events.
“It’s better to have them and not use them and not have them and need them,” said Presiding Commissioner Terry Newton.