Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center will present UNLV with a check for more than $10,700 during half-time at the Saturday (Sept. 18) football game at Sam Boyd Stadium. The money will be used to purchase four automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest, which is one of the country's leading medical emergencies, according to the American Heart Association.

"Sunrise Hospital is pleased to provide UNLV with the automatic defibrillators," said Allan Stipe, president and chief executive officer of Sunrise Hospital. "As evidenced in the donation, as well as programs such as our Athletic Healthcare Program, Sunrise Hospital has continually stepped up to the plate and worked to protect the health of Southern Nevada athletes, students, and residents."

The Hewlett-Packard Heartstream ForeRunner AEDs, which will be housed in UNLV's athletic buildings and kept on site at sporting events, will be used to apply defibrillation therapy, or an electrical charge to the heart, to sudden cardiac arrest victims.

"The health and well-being of every student and athlete at UNLV is something we ta very seriously," said Kyle Wilson, UNLV director of athletic training. "We are grateful to Sunrise Hospital for the very generous gift. It will now make it possible to deploy the AED therapy on site, where an early response is critical."

According to the American Heart Association, the United States survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is only 5 percent, largely because the life-saving defibrillators -- the definitive treatment for sudden cardiac arrest -- do not reach victims in time.