February is American Heart Month, and Greenwood Leflore Hospital is educating people in the community about what to do if faced with a cardiac emergency.
The hospital held a health fair on Thursday decked out with booths from various health businesses in the community, such as MedStat and Sunflower Home Health. Representatives of several departments from the hospital, such as the cardio-pulmonary department and the inpatient rehab center, educated attendees. Goodie bags and door prizes were given.
The hospital also had workers posted in the conference room to give free blood pressure, glucose and BMI tests to check if visitors might be at risk for heart disease.
Dr. Abhash Thakur, a cardiologist with the hospital, said the health fair was meant to bring awareness to the public, particularly women, who sometimes are not as aware of their risks for heart disease.
Some factors to monitor in preventing heart disease are cholesterol, blood pressure, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. Thakur said those who have diabetes or are obese should take special care in monitoring their hearts.
“Be aware if you have symptoms, seek help, so that we can take care of the heart disease,” he said. “We’re really advanced now ... and we have the solutions. Help is there.”
Two emergency room nurses, Victoria Fears and Carter McNeer, had a booth set up with a CPR dummy to show guests the proper techniques for resuscitating someone.
“Most people don’t know what to do if someone passes out. Most people are just afraid to do it,” Fears said. “We want to let them know an easy way with smaller steps and build some confidence in doing it.”
“We’re teaching hands-only CPR, which is what things are moving towards,” McNeer said.
Both nurses said the first step is to check whether someone is responsive. “Never start before checking on a patient, or you might get hit,” Fears laughed.
If a patient is unresponsive, call 911 first, and then begin chest compressions. Compressions should be at least 2 inches and pumped 100 to 120 times per minute. From there, keep pushing until first responders arrive and take over.
During their demonstration, they had the Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive” playing, which is what they recommend people sing in their head to stay on target with the correct amount of compressions. Other songs that match the beat are Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.”
•Contact Kerrigan Herret at 581-7233 or kherret@gwcommonwealth.com.
