‘Train the trainer’ CPR time

The Seattle program “leads the way in survival from out of hospital cardiac arrest,” said Erin Burnham, medical director for Wasco and Sherman County EMS Agencies, who helped organize last week’s training session.

Oregon Resuscitation Academy faculty taught pods of students learning TTT HP-CPR (Train the Trainer) High Performance Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). Attendees included a mix of EMTs, Paramedics, RNs and MDs from local Gorge agencies and other agencies and hospitals in Oregon.

“It is important to have all the healthcare providers who take care of cardiac arrest patients trained to provide the same (high performance) CPR,” Burnham said. “Rather than sending everyone to Seattle for training, we brought the Resuscitation Academy to the Gorge.” Instructors included Paul Rostykus, MD from Oregon Resuscitation Academy teaching HP-CPR.

The second part of the course on Friday included a separate portion teaching law enforcement CPR/AED and dispatch training, organized by Michelle Renault of Hood River Dispatch. There were 12 local Gorge attendees, taught by Beth Smith, lead dispatcher for Washington County.

CPR training is taking off in the Gorge, according to Burnham. The Gorge HEART Committee has already introduced several CPR strategies, including community CPR education and the AED (Amazing Ellen Dittebrandt Automatic External Defibrillator) program. The agencies in Hood River, Wasco and Sherman Counties are all entering data into the national CARES (Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival) database so lifesaving crews can measure outcomes and improve their own performance.

The course held last week was sponsored by Oregon Office of Rural Health, Oregon Health Authority, EMS and Trauma Systems, the EMS Section of the Oregon Fire Chiefs Association, the Seattle Resuscitation Academy, Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue, Hood River Fire, the Gorge Heart Committee and Mike Mikkelson.