Food Bank holds CPR and AED training for community emergencies
IMPERIAL – In an effort to enhance emergency response capabilities in the community, the Imperial Valley Food bank provided comprehensive CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and AED (automated external defibrillator) training to its staff members inside the IVFB Community Room facility here on Friday,
May 26.
“This proactive measure equips our team with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively respond to life-threatening situations and provide immediate assistant until professional medical help arrives,” Sara Griffen, IVFB Executive Director, said in an IVFB press release.
Along with providing first responder training to staff, the Food Bank has also invested in two AED machines, a portable device used to treat people suffering from immediate heart related health issues.
And AED machine will be kept inside the facility’s warehouse, while the second machine will remain mobile to travel with the Food Bank’s staff inside their refrigerated transportation truck used for mobile food distributions. This investment allows the Food Bank to provide immediate access to lifesaving equipment at both the Food Bank and while operation 14 mobile food pantries throughout Imperial County each month, the release reads.
“The more that people know about CPR and first responder training skills in the community, this will increase the likelihood of someone taking action to provide those lifesaving skills,” said Rich DeRose, founder of HeartVantages, the nonprofit organization that conducted CPR, AED and first aid training to the IVFB staff.
HeartVantages is an approved American Heart Association training site based in Palm Desert, according to the release. The organization utilizes innovative online instruction with a customized hands-on skills training session for students and employers in small to large businesses.
“Everyone needs to be trained because something may not happen at your workplace, it may happen at the grocery store or in your own home,” said HeartVantages representative Shannon Shea. “Emergencies are not really business industry specific,” she said.
The training skills and equipment is significant for the staff to know before the hot summer months, the release reads, especially since the Imperial Valley Food Bank serves 25,000 people each month at over 30 locations.
“We have had at least two clients at our food distributions this year suffer from health issues that required us to call for medical assistance,” IVFB Director of Programs, Alba Sanchez, said in the release. “Different situations have happened in the past … an older client has tripped and fallen, another had forgotten to take their health medication that morning, while others have overheated.”
Although medical emergencies are far from common during mobile food pantries, Sanchez said the training and equipment will help to address the unique challenges faced by clients living in regions of the county where professional medical help can be limited and response times may extend up to 45 minutes.
“We’ve always care for our clients and now we are trained to provide essential emergency care until the professionals arrive,” Sanchez said. “We hope to foster a positive impact on the overall safety and resilience of the communities we serve.”