Healthy North Coast is helping to save lives by funding a regional community first aid training program through the Healthy Towns initiative.
In fact, it was only a day after a first aid training course at South Lismore Bowling Club that the course’s value was highlighted, says Pulsestart Training Solutions managing director Suzie Howell.
A club patron collapsed and was in cardiac arrest. The woman was given cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by one of the course participants, which helped to save her life.
“It was brilliant,” Ms Howell said. “The staff member who had been trained the day before knew exactly what to do.”
Pulsestart works with Healthy North Coast running community first aid training across the region in locations where a need has been identified.
The nationally accredited one-day courses are for people from socio-economically disadvantaged communities. These communities must be more than 20 minutes from their closest emergency or medical service and have fewer than 2,000 people.
“People of any age from 10 upwards can come and do the course,” Ms Howell said. “We get 80- and 90-year-olds doing the training.”
Community members have identified access to timely medical assistance as one of their main concerns. Often these communities experience a high incidence of farm and other vehicle accidents resulting in injury. Many have also experienced suicides and suicide attempts, strokes and/or cardiac related conditions requiring CPR.
Healthy North Coast has funded free first aid training over many years to small and isolated communities. These help to improve participants’ knowledge, skill and confidence to administer first aid and provide support while awaiting ambulance assistance.
Healthy North Coast also provides annual training to community members living in small and isolated communities with sponsored defibrillators installed. On the North Coast these communities include Bundagen, Calliope, Seelands, Darkwood, Ulong, Jubulum and Tabulam.