UH Parma President Challenges Mayors, City Officials To Become CPR-Certified

Mayors from 10 cities have accepted the challenge presented by UH Parma Medical Center President Nancy Tinsley to become certified in CPR. Tinsley is pictured here with Board Chairman David Nedrich, Brooklyn Hts. Mayor Mike Procuk, Broadview Hts. Mayor Sam Alai and Independence Mayor Anthony Togliatti. 

Most cardiac arrests occur at home, yet fewer than 8 percent of those who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital survive. Those are statistics that don’t sit well with University Hospitals Parma Medical Center President Nancy M. Tinsley.

When Tinsley hosted a Mayors’ Roundtable last fall and learned that many city leaders were not trained in this life-saving skill, she issued a challenge: become trained in CPR, and receive grant money to be invested in advancing health and wellness. To reinforce its mission in Building Lifesaving Communities, grant money will be awarded to each municipality based on the number of city officials and employees trained and certified in CPR by June 1, 2016.

The UH Parma Medical Center CPR Training Challenge has been presented to the hospital’s six founding communities – Parma, Parma Hts., Brooklyn, Brooklyn Hts., North Royalton and Seven Hills – as well as Independence, Broadview Hts., Newburgh Hts. and Cuyahoga Hts. Most of these cities have already scheduled CPR training sessions with the nationally registered instructors at UH EMS Training and Disaster Preparedness Institute. The instructors, based at UH Parma Health Education Center, are taking their training on the road, going to each community for sessions scheduled at their convenience.

Brooklyn Hts. Mayor Mike Procuk said the mayors responded with enthusiasm and are eager to get their staff members trained. Broadview Hts. Mayor Sam Alai noted that the CPR Challenge aligns well with his city’s wellness initiatives, and envisions city workers from all departments benefitting – and possibly saving lives of their own family members or residents.

“This is a valuable tool to empower employees with a wonderful life-saving technique,” says Independence Mayor Anthony Togliatti, who has 150 employees already registered for training.

The American Heart Association reports that people who suffer cardiac arrest are up to three times more likely to survive if they receive CPR from a bystander. Yet fewer than half of cardiac arrest victims receive the CPR that could greatly improve their chances of survival until EMS arrives and the person is transported to the hospital. Since 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur at home, many people are unprepared to face such a crisis with a family member or friend.

“Quite simply, the life you save could be a loved one’s – a parent, a spouse, even a child,” says Ms. Tinsley, a registered nurse. “You don’t have to be a medical professional to do your part in saving a life. Creating and sustaining healthy communities takes each of us doing our part.”

CJ Sheppard

Senior Communications Strategist, University Hospitals Parma Medical Center

Read More on Parma General Hospital
Volume 8, Issue 4, Posted 4:38 PM, 04.06.2016