From Bystanders to
Lifesavers: Community Learns CPR, NARCAN
In recognition of February’s American Heart Month, William
Newton Hospital hosted its second annual free community-wide CPR certification
event February 8 through 10 at Baden Square with support from Cowley College
Allied Health, Udall Fire, USD 465 Nursing Services, and Winfield Fire/EMS
Department.
With four hands-on sessions over three days, 108 individuals
learned the basics of adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), infant CPR,
automated external defibrillator (AED) operation, and NARCAN® administration, a
naloxone nasal spray approved as an over-the-counter opioid overdose treatment.
Community members and healthcare providers received CPR certification from the
American Heart Association.
“Many people think it is too hard to do CPR or that they
will hurt a person doing CPR. I ask anyone, ‘Would you rather do nothing
in an emergency or do something?’” says William Newton Hospital Interim ICU
Manager and CPR Instructor Barbara Humpert, RN. “Feeling guilty after a medical
emergency is a burden I do not wish on any person.”
Humpert has worked in different roles at the hospital for
several decades and has helped educate hospital staff and the community in
basic life support CPR. Of the event, she reflected, “I was impressed with the
number of people who showed up and cared enough to take the class. I saw
healthcare workers, childcare providers, volunteers, retired people, teachers,
and all ages (an eight-year-old young lady who was really impressive)!”
Darby, the young girl Humpert referenced, is the daughter of
William Newton Hospital Emergency Department Manager Cassie Stein, BSN, RN,
EMT, and accompanied her mother to the class. Stein remarks, “CPR is easy
enough my eight-year-old can do it. We want to empower everyone to learn these
life-saving skills. When minutes matter, acting quickly can mean the difference
between life and death.”
The event is among the programs implemented by the William
Newton Healthcare Foundation’s Beats Go On community wellness initiative aimed
at providing wellness education and fostering collaborative partnerships. Paula
Radcliff, a local rancher and business owner who served for 27 years as an
emergency medical technician at William Newton Hospital, is the Beats Go On
co-chair alongside William Newton Hospital Clinical Education/Professional
Development Coordinator Melanie Burnett, MSN, RN. Radcliff’s contributions
enabled participants to get certified at no cost.
“Mel has done amazing work; I am impressed by how much she
and the committee have been able to do and how much the community has
benefitted through these Beats events,” says Radcliff.
Radcliff has embarked on a volunteer role to assist William
Newton Hospital’s strategic plans to address emergency care through expanded
programs, collaborative programming, and expansion of services and facilities.
As one example, a highly collaborative Stop The Bleed program will be released
this summer, in which a critical mass of community members will be trained on
how to effectively control life-threatening bleeding.
“These examples exemplify the type of commitment rural
communities need and greatly benefit from,” remarks Radcliff.
Humpert expressed gratitude to the event volunteers,
instructors from the hospital, fire/EMS, and schools, and Radcliff as an
underwriter. “I am grateful to Paula for providing this opportunity. Our
community is a safer place to live with all the people who cared enough to take
the class.”
William Newton Hospital offers monthly CPR classes for
healthcare providers and the public, which typically cost $30 for non-hospital
employees. The next regular CPR certification class is scheduled for Tuesday,
March 26. To reserve a seat, register online with William Newton Hospital at www.wnhcares.org/cpr. For more
information, contact Burnett at 620-222-6254.
To learn more about the Beats Go On community wellness
initiative and other upcoming events, visit www.wnhcares.org/foundation/2ndcentury/beats.
