Stollery Children’s Hospital launches life-saving pilot project

EDMONTON – A new initiative at the Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital is teaching parents and caregivers of sick kids some potentially life-saving skills.

The pilot project, put on in conjunction with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, shows parents and caregivers how to breathe into a tiny mouth. And more importantly, it teaches them how to do compressions using just two fingers.

Participants learn how to help a choking baby, as well. They also get a DVD and baby mannequin to teach their new skills to others.

Prior to this course, parents used to be given a quick CPR lesson by a nurse. Often, it would be given on the same day they were leaving the hospital.

“It wasn’t a very organized approach,” admitted Maria Golberg, Manager of Quality and Education at the Stollery.

“It tended to be far too close to the patient’s discharge. And this is a complicated skill, and it’s a little frightening. So families needed more opportunity to be able to practice.”

“Young kids have the best chance of having CPR and not having brain damage with it,” said participant Jennifer Goodrick, “so there’s a really good chance that it could actually save a life. So why wouldn’t you want to know what to do?”

For mothers like Rachel Vanderzwaag, whose son Maverick spent his first six months in hospital due to a congential heart disease, taking the course provides her with some extra peace of mind and reassurance.

“So far he’s already had two cardiac arrests and needed CPR,” she said.

While Maverick’s mom hopes she’ll never have to use what she’s learned, she’s happy she’s prepared.

The course at the Stollery is only for patients’ families. But if you want to learn CPR, there are a number of organizations that will train you in Edmonton, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

With files from Su-Ling Goh, Global News