ARLINGTON — Armstrong Ambulance is pleased to join Recovery Centers of America to provide hands-only CPR lessons to RCA patients.
Beginning last month, Armstrong staff are visiting RCA’s Danvers location and working with patients suffering from addiction to teach them how to perform lifesaving CPR prior to being discharged from treatment.
The lessons, which were organized and are taught by Armstrong Educational Coordinator Larry LeDoux, provide RCA patients with a basic understanding of how to perform CPR, including the proper technique and rhythm to ensure the best chances at success.
LeDoux teaches students the steps, including calling 911 first and foremost, and then administering chest compressions to the beat of a familiar song with an appropriate amount of beats per minute. Some examples include “Staying Alive” by the Bee Gees or “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce.
“These lessons provide RCA’s patients with a valuable skill that they may some day need to help a loved one or friend in need,” LeDoux said. “This is something tangible and practical that patients can be proud of upon being discharged.”
According to the American Heart Association, approximately 90 percent of those who undergo sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die. If performed immediately, CPR can double or triple a victim’s chances of survival.
“During the drug and alcohol epidemic that exists today, so many of our patients are in situations where friends and others around them are overdosing and dying,” Danvers Recovery Centers of America CEO Laura Ames said. “Narcan is not always available and this CPR training by Armstrong Ambulance provides our patients with a valuable lifesaving skill to help others suffering from an addiction who are in need of help.”
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