CPR Anytime provides new parents peace of mind

Every now and then, a baby arrives a few weeks before the parents-to-be had planned. In those cases, Fort HealthCare Great Expectations Birthing Center nurses help better prepare parents with the help of CPR Anytime, a kit produced by the American Heart Association that allows anyone to learn infant CPR basics in only 22 minutes.

CPR Anytime Kits are not intended to replace certification courses, but they offer friends and family member enough information to be able to assist in an emergency situation. Kits include an inflatable mannequin, a practice DVD and accessories for the program. Babies born before their due dates are at a slightly increased health risk, therefore the instructional period with the registered nurse in the patient’s room helps calm the nerves of new parents.

The CPR Anytime kits are provided to parents at at-risk babies free of charge thanks to a project done by Carly Wallace, daughter of Mike and Kristin Wallace of Fort Atkinson. Wallace is a student at Fort Atkinson High School who sold microwavable heating bags at Fort Atkinson Farmers Markets to raise fund for the kits which were then donated to Fort Memorial Hospital for parents of newborns. Wallace chose new parents as recipients because they are motivated to learn CPR but often do not have the time to participate in classes. Carly raised $600 for the initiative and that amount was matched by Tomorrow’s Hope. The $1200 is enough to supply Fort Memorial Hospital with nearly 35 kits.

Wallace is completing this project as part of her work toward achieving the Gold Award, which is the Girl Scout equivalent of the Boy Scouts Eagle Scout award. To achieve a Gold Award, girls must complete an 80-hour project during high school working with a guide, who in this case is Fort HealthCare CPR coordinator Dawn Blanton.

To learn more about cardiac-related death prevention, you can participate in one of Fort HealthCare’s American Heart Association CPR courses. Included in the offerings is the non-certification “Family & Friends CPR” course. Registrations for this course, being held Wednesday, February 22 from 6:30-9:00 p.m., are now being accepted online at FortHealthCare.com/Classes. The class is $5 per person.

Anyone wishing to purchase a kit for their own home or a family member may do so by contacting Dawn Blanton at (920) 568-5248. The cost of the kit is $35.

Pictured is Jan Simdon, RN, instructing new parents, Aimee and Edwin Ojeda with a CPR Anytime mannequin.