A new group in Lander County is urging people to love their hearts by bringing CPR classes to town and spreading heart health awareness.
Heartsavers, which partners with Battle Mountain General Hospital, was formed by Cassandra Shoopman, and AEMT with Lander County EMS, and Community Health Nurse Brenda Keller in fall 2013.
It not only sponsors CPR classes and heart education, it partners with the PAD (Public Access Defibrillator) program, run by Mike Chadwell, the PAD program manager and a member of Lander County EMS, to bring Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to the county. Shoopman said CPR is most effective with AED machines.
"We are lacking (CRP training) and we wanted the community to become a heart-saving community," Shoopman said. "We have made a lot of leaps and bounds. It creates a formidable ability to save lives. Brenda Keller and I saw a need for it and over night decided we were going to create this venture and bring CPR to Lander County. The goal is to get as many people CPR certified as possible."
The group is teaming up with the county's Safety Committee and the Frontier Community Coalition to celebrate February as National Heart Month with events all over town. There is a free meet-and-greet luncheon being held today at the hospital for the public to learn about Heartsavers.
Heartsavers members will also be popping up randomly around town at local businesses to promote hands-only CPR, which consists of two steps - call 911 and push hard and fast on the chest area.
They will also be showing up at high school sporting events and holding a free Heartsavers CPR class for the general public at noon on Feb. 20 at the ambulance barn. There are 20 spaces available and people must sign up by Feb. 14 by calling (775) 635-1110. Shoopman will be teaching the class.
The group will be holding several raffles. For each event attended, people will get a raffle ticket for a garden basket. Tickets can also be purchased at an event or at the ambulance barn. They are $1 each or six for $5. Other raffle prizes will be announced soon.
The drawing will be held Feb. 28 at the ambulance barn and people do not have to be present to win. The money will go toward the CPR classes and outreach.
In addition to Keller and Shoopman, hospital CEO Phil Hanna, County Safety Manager Keith Westengard, Chadwell and Rick Bell, Lander County EMS director and a member of the Lander County Safety Committee, are also part of the team.
Heartsavers has held around four CPR classes each month for the past five months and has
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trained around 95 people, Shoopman said.
CPR class fees are based on a sliding scale depending on income. Those who take the classes become CPR certified through the American Heart Association.
There are three different classes offered - Heartsavers CPR and AED, CPR for Healthcare Providers and First Aid. Classes are held at the ambulance barn, located at 25 E. 2nd St. and range from four to six hours. They are taught by Shoopman, Keller or other certified CPR instructors throughout the community.
"I think it is a vital part for any community and brings the advances in medicine to the rural areas," Shoopman said.
Several entities and businesses have chipped in for materials for the classes and the AED machines. The hospital, the Safety Committee, the Frontier Community Coalition, Lander County EMS and Marigold Mine have all given funding, Shoopman said.
The PAD program, headed by Chadwell, is in the process of replacing older AEDs throughout the county with newer, more user-friendly models. The group has just received 18 new machines to be put at locations such as the schools, the Senior Center, the courthouse and the Lander County Sheriff's Office. Some may be placed in the south county area as well, Chadwell said.
Those who would like more heart healthy tips can visit www.heart.org.
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