Recent school saves highlight the importance of medical emergency response plans that include CPR and use of automated external defibrillators and demonstrate that these common sense preparations are not just about saving students.
Here is a sampling of saves reported in the past month:
- School nurse Kelly Walton saved the life of Samuel Moorman, a fellow employee at Foster Park Elementary School in Union, South Carolina.
- Vice principal, Holly Shanlon, saved the life of school principal, Steven Yull, 41, at Queen Victoria Elementary School in Hamilton, Ontario.
- Athletic trainer Steven Papa saved the life of Anthony Cortazzo, 15, who collapsed during track practice at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey.
- Certified athletic trainer and University of South Carolina graduate student Shea deWeber, some undergraduate students and nurses in the stands saved the life of soccer referee, Ramon Gil at Airport High School in Columbia, South Carolina.
- School nurse Mary Ellen Urbanowicz saved the life of teacher Erin Durborow at Eisenhower Intermediate School in Bridgewater, New Jersey--and in so doing also saved the life of her unborn son.
As Foster Park Superintendent Kristi Woodall puts it, "Whatever money was spent, is now well worth it."
Do schools in your area have AEDs? If not, it's time to get going.
-Mary Newman
Keep up with regular posts about AED saves at www.facebook.com/youcansavealife.
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