Registered nurse honored after decades of lifesaving AED advocacy

News admin October 21, 2026 0 Comments

Registered nurse honored after decades of lifesaving AED advocacy

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A registered nurse was honored at Honolulu Hale Tuesday for her decades of lifesaving CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) advocacy throughout Hawaii.

Pamela Foster founded the AED Institute of America in 2004 to promote bystander CPR and the use of AEDs in public places.

Under her leadership, the organization placed more than 10,000 AEDs throughout the state and provides CPR education to tens of thousands of people each year.

“We put the equipment in place. We do the training, and then we hope and pray that somebody will act — that somebody will be confident enough to pull that AED off the wall, start compressions, call 911, and save that life,” Foster said.

In 2006, Foster launched Operation Stay’N Alive to offer free CPR and AED training through the Hawaii Department of Transportation Airports Division. The program has since expanded to 13 airports on six islands.

“Since implementing the AED program at our local airports, more than 86 cardiac arrest patients have been saved,” Foster said, noting that the latest save happened that morning at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, when a Good Samaritan used an AED to revive a woman who was not breathing and had no pulse.

Honolulu Emergency Services Director Jim Ireland met Foster 20 years ago while he was the medical director at then-Honolulu International Airport.

“Pamela’s work demonstrates the power of education and community preparedness,” Ireland said. “By learning CPR and how to use an AED, you may save a life someday.”

Foster also founded the Hawaii Heart Foundation in 2010, which has provided free CPR training to more than 200,000 elementary school students.

In recognition of her impact, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi proclaimed Oct. 20, 2026, “Pamela Foster Day.”

“Every second matters when someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest,” Blangiardi said. “Pamela Foster has dedicated her career to making sure more people in Hawaii are prepared to take action.”

The honor comes during National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, an effort to educate the public about sudden cardiac arrest, its warning signs and lifesaving responses.