A team of three nurses based at the Rock Sound Public Clinic – part of the South Eleuthera Medical Team, inspired by recent events on the island, plan to introduce a program to train children as first responders in emergency situations.
Seasoned health professionals, Nurse Cornell Johnson, Nurse Velma Dorsett and Nurse Ellis, in a recent interview about the upcoming initiative, shared details about the program for the benefit of the Eleuthera public, and the groups they plan to target.
“The initiative is themed the CPR Initiative and it’s the children’s edition,” shared Nurse Johnson. “The whole purpose behind this initiative is looking at when children themselves are the first persons at the point of care. That simply means that at times children can be directly involved with other children and even adults when it comes to emergencies. For example, whether they are at school, whether they are on the playground, whether they are in a park, et cetera.
“So, in knowing this, we realize that it is important to factor children in as it relates to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), because studies have shown that any form of CPR can be helpful when it comes to saving the life of someone. So, our main objective is to basically educate and teach children on the steps that they would take when it comes to an emergency. That includes, recognizing what is an emergency, knowing who to call in an emergency, when to call someone in an emergency, and also the things that they can do to help until advanced medical help arrives,” Nurse Johnson explained.
Describing which groups and organizations they hoped to work with to reach children on the island, Johnson said, “We seek to target schools, youth groups, church groups, and the like. We would go in and have the conversation. And, with the use of our mannequins and our healthcare teams in South Eleuthera, take the time and demonstrate basic steps with these children and give them the opportunity to experience the hands on demonstration themselves, so that it makes them a little bit more knowledgeable, and a bit more prepared in the event of an emergency.”
The team of nurses shared that they look to engage with groups and children throughout the month of February and March, and plan to begin by visiting schools in South Eleuthera, then expand, in cooperation and partnership with all nursing teams across Eleuthera.
Churches, youth groups, schools and other organizations engaged with children and teens in Eleuthera are encouraged to reach out to the health team at (470-8132, 470-8152, 470-8134, or 454-9142) to schedule a free teaching session.
Nurse Ellis emphasized that their team wanted to remind all Eleutherans that everybody can play a vital role in health emergencies, saying, “Whether you’re an adult, whether you’re middle aged, whether you’re a child – we want everybody in our community to know that they can play a vital role in the survival of the affected person. We call it our first responder. A first responder can be as young as six or seven. Everyone should know that they have a vital role they can play, in making sure that an individual’s life is saved.”
