HEART-TO-HEART – ISSUE NO. 317

On April 29, 2014 Healthmark's Inside Sales Representative, Tim Kelch, suffered a cardiac arrest while at work, as a result of atrial fibrillations. CPR was not working as Dave Martini, in the purchasing department, came to the rescue with an automated external defibrillator (AED). In less than 2 minutes, Tim was revived. Adequate training and quick thinking prepared Dave for this moment. He received CPR and AED training while serving in the Air National Guard. Since the incident, Healthmark has purchased AEDs for every department and has had staffed trained in CPR and the use of AED devices. The 2013 update of AHA's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics shows that 23% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are "shockable" arrhythmias, or those that will respond to an AED. However, there are still not enough AEDs and persons trained in using them and performing CPR to provide this life-saving treatment. Unfortunately, 64% of Americans have never even seen an AED.¹ The American Heart Association, American Stroke Association and Cintas are hoping to change all that. On June 29th, Cintas offered a 3-day seminar for Compliance Training for CPR & First Aid, in accordance to OSHA standards. One goal was to help motivate trainees by hearing from an actual survivor. Tim Kelch was asked to speak and was presented with a gift from the American Heart Association. As Tim stood to speak, with his wife Lisa by his side, he didn't have note cards or an outline. Instead, he spoke from the heart about how fortunate he was. "I could see on their faces that what they were about to learn is going to make a real difference," stated Kelch.