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Heartline Magazine October - December 2004
Care for life Training Programme A Success
The Heart Foundation of Barbados (HFOB) recently provided
training and certification in First Aid to close to two hundred persons, in what
was said to be the largest mass training exercise of its kind ever to be held in
the Caribbean.
Entitled “Care For Life”, and supported by the Barbados
National Bank, the programme was held over two Saturdays, November 13th and 20th
at the headquarters of the Barbados Defense Force. The intensive, all-day
course, began at 8.00 a.m. and ended at 5.00 p.m. each day, and was attended by
a wide cross section of the community, including the corporate sector,
government agencies, community groups, churches, district emergency
organizations and private citizens. 104 people were trained on the first day,
and 88 on the second.
Dr. Brian Charles, head of the Heart Foundation of Barbados’
Emergency Cardiac Care programme, and leader of the course, was pleased with the
turnout and the outcome. “Naturally,” he said “there were some challenges in
organizing an event of such a magnitude for the first time, among which were
getting all the instructors together for one day, also scheduling sessions for
such a large number of participants, but at the end of the day the course went
very well.” He thanked the instructors who gave of their time and passed on
their knowledge to participants.
Nineteen fully accredited American Heart Association
instructors conducted the sessions, which taught the management of medical and
trauma led injuries, as well as an introduction to CPR. Included in the
comprehensive course was instruction in the treatment of shock, burns, limb and
extremity trauma (including lacerations, wounds, bleeding, and fractures), also
poisonings, electrocution, respiratory difficulty (including asthma and smoke
inhalation), sudden illness, and common medical emergencies such as low blood
sugar, and low blood pressure. The use of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED),
a simple but revolutionary device that restarts the dying heart, was an
important feature of the course.
Dr. Charles noted that the ability to apply First Aid was
useful to everyone in the society, and that, following on the success of the
Care For Life programme, The HFOB would be looking to make the programme a
regular one on its annual calendar, holding two or three sessions per year. He
also revealed that similar training exercises are expected to be held for
volunteers for Cricket World Cup 2007.
One of the course participants was Clyde Sobers, of Cricket
World Cup. Mr. Sobers said that one of the legacies of the Cricket World Cup was
the empowerment of the volunteers with skills that they can use after the games
are finished. He said “Much of what goes on at the games is done by volunteers,
carrying out various duties. In that regard, it will be important that each
volunteer have the ability to be a first responder in the event that there is a
crisis for anyone.” All volunteers, he said, will be trained in CPR and other
areas of basic First Aid. Of course, the great benefit is that these people will
be trained in a skill that they can use at any time in the future. They can, in
fact, pass on the training to others. I would recommend this course to anyone.”
Another participant, Victor Cooke, said that he enjoyed the
course immensely. “For one thing,” he said, “it’s never boring. Plus you get to
interact with the instructors and get additional tips. Mr. Cooke felt that
everyone should get training in First Aid, simply because “you never know when
you may have to use it. At home. At work. At play.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Heart Foundation, Adrian
Randall, in welcoming the course participants, expressed his pleasure at seeing
such a large number interested in being trained in First Aid. He said: “The
whole day course provides a golden opportunity for the Heart Foundation to get
our mission of keeping people heart healthy and reducing suffering and death
from cardiovascular disease to a much wider audience.”
The Heart Foundation CEO noted that Training in First Aid is
an essential part of a company’s or an individual’s responsibility towards an
overall health and safety programme. “The Heart Foundation of Barbados in the
future will be intensifying its outreach programmes to provide knowledge and
instruction in this area, as well as in good heart health, not only across
Barbados but to our Caribbean neighbours as well.”
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