PHILLIPS — Jane Thorndike of NorthStar EMS and Heather Rhinhart also of NorthStar EMS and a volunteer for AmeriCorps (an emergency response corp unit of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England), recently taught 100 students at Phillips Elementary School how to do hands-only CPR.

Students in grades three through eight took part in the training that focused on compressions only. According to the American Red Cross, hands-only CPR is best used in emergencies where an adult has suddenly collapsed. The hands-only technique increases the likelihood of surviving cardiac emergencies by circulating oxygen that is already present in the blood.

Myra Coffin, the school nurse for Phillips and Stratton Elementary Schools, requested that NorthStar teach hands-only CPR to the Phillips students. Rhinhart responded, “I was very enthusiastic about teaching this class at the school after hearing of the story of a nine-year-old Florida boy who saved his two-year-old sister’s life after she fell in the family pool and wasn’t breathing and had no pulse. He immediately began CPR and saved her life.”

All of the students learned how to check for a pulse, when CPR is appropriate to use and when to not begin it, how to do proper compressions, and how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator.

Coffin reminded the group, “There is no age limit on CPR and the more informed everyone is on this topic, including students, the better prepared this community will be when it comes to saving a life.”

NorthStar is committed to improving the survival rates of heart attacks and sudden cardiac arrests. Learning CPR and the wide availability of AEDs improve survival rates. “Everyone is encouraged to find the location of the closest AED and call 911 immediately if you experience heart attack or stroke symptoms,” Rhinhart added.

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