Affton School District Equips Every Campus and Athletics with 27 Avive Connect AED®s

Missouri school district replaces a patchwork of legacy devices with one connected, standardized AED program built around a 3-minute response goal

SAN FRANCISCO - OCTOBER 19, 2026 - Avive has deployed 27 Avive Connect AED®s across Affton School District in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. The rollout covers five campuses serving roughly 2,500 students and 400 staff, along with the parents, volunteers, and visitors who fill Affton's facilities every day. It replaces an AED program built one purchase at a time with a single, connected system designed so that every campus is ready.

Affton's campuses draw large crowds for Friday night games and community rentals, so the number of people on site at any moment is far greater than enrollment alone suggests. When it came time to replace its aging AEDs, the district saw an opportunity to rethink its approach to cardiac readiness.

"Having to stop, figure out which of the four models you're holding, physically swap out the pads for pediatric pads, could severely delay that time to shock," said Adam Jasinski, Executive Director of Operations at Affton School District. Before the rollout, buildings held four or five different AED models, with inconsistent signage, separate adult and pediatric pads, and a monthly maintenance routine that fell to school nurses.

A plan built around three minutes

Affton set a goal of reaching an AED within three minutes from anywhere on campus and built its placement plan around it. District leaders and nurses walked each building, prioritized high-occupancy areas like cafeterias and auditoriums, and covered public gathering spaces such as the football field. They studied floor plans to estimate walking times and ran mini-drills to the farthest corners of fields and the easy-to-overlook corner classroom.

"No matter where a student or faculty member was, we could get to them within that 3-minute window," said Stephanie Garibay, District Nurse Coordinator.

Readiness without the legwork

Avive's REALConnect™ platform gives district leadership a view of every AED in the district, while each building nurse can see the devices in their own building. Automated readiness checks and reporting replace manual walkthroughs and paper logs, so staff no longer need to walk the halls checking batteries and pad expiration dates.

"We're all able to have an all-hands-on-deck approach, which takes it a little off of just the building nurse to be responsible for all of the AEDs within their building," said Garibay.

The Avive Connect AED is designed to be simple for anyone to use. Responders pull the tab at the top, and the device guides them with on-screen visuals and clear audio prompts, including built-in CPR instructions and Spanish-language support. A dedicated Child Mode button and a single pad set for adults and children remove the guesswork of choosing a pad size or swapping pads in an emergency. Training Mode with swappable training pads lets nurses and staff rehearse on the same device they would use in a real emergency.

An AED that goes where athletic trainers go

Affton's athletic trainers cover more than 200 athletes across practices, home games, off-campus matches, and middle school events. Previously, they relied on larger units stored in a shed, or on whatever the host school had available. Each trainer now carries a portable Avive AED weighing just 2.1 lbs.

"We don't want to be spending 5 minutes tracking down an administrator to get us in this building. So that immediate access, having it right there in my kit, you just can't go wrong," said Becky Stigen, Head Athletic Trainer at Affton High School, who has served the district for 18 years.

Part of a broader commitment to cardiac readiness

The AED deployment is one part of Affton's larger cardiac emergency strategy. The district partnered with Project ADAM and was certified as a Heart Safe School District, a recognition that reflects its awareness efforts, training, and practiced response plans. As part of that effort, Affton mapped AED locations to meet its 3-minute response goal, monitored devices through the REALConnect dashboard, wrote a cardiac emergency response plan for each school community, and committed to annual training and cardiac drills.

About Affton School District:

Located in South St. Louis County, Missouri, Affton School District empowers each student to become a capable, curious, and confident lifelong learner. Serving a diverse community across an early childhood center, primary, intermediate, middle, and high school, Affton is dedicated to academic innovation, emotional growth, and future-readiness. Guided by its core pillars—Our Students, Our Team, Our Connections, and Our System—the district fosters an inclusive environment where every voice matters. For more information, visit afftonschools.net or follow #OneAffton on social media.

About Avive Solutions:

Avive Solutions, Inc. is a Brisbane, CA-based company dedicated to developing state-of-the-art Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) designed to be accessible, intuitive, and effective in saving lives during Sudden Cardiac Arrest emergencies. Avive’s mission is to ensure that lifesaving AED technology is available in every community across the nation. Learn more at avive.life.

Learn more
Read the full Affton case study or request a demo at avive.life/contact.

Media Contacts:

Mackenzie Kirk
Content Marketing Manager, Avive Solutions
mackenzie@avive.life

Erica Chandler, APR
Director of Communications
(314) 633-5908
echandler@afftonschools.net

‍