DETROIT – New Calvary Baptist Church in Detroit has taken steps to ensure that its members are trained to handle emergency situations by working closely with the American Heart Association.
They have learned how to perform hands-only CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED). The church recently held a drill where they practiced critical steps in the event that someone suffers a cardiac arrest.
For members of the church, the drill is more than just a drill, as 63-year-old Howard Moore suffered a cardiac arrest while at the back of the church. Although he lived for about 10 days after receiving CPR from a choir member, he eventually passed away from complications.
One of the members did CPR and called 911, and they took him to the hospital,” said New Calvary Parish Nurse and Trustee Janet Banks-McElrath. “He lived for around 10 days.”
At the time, the church did not have an AED. However, since the incident, the church has trained multiple members in CPR and acquired an AED.
“If we had had an AED I think it would’ve been a different outcome,” Banks-McElrath said.
Earlier this month, they hosted their annual “Love Your Heart Health Fair” where even the youngest members learned hands-only CPR.
“Because of the presence of our community, we have to not only be a help from a spiritual perspective but a health and physical perspective,” said New Calvary Pastor James Terrell Thomas.
Even the youngest members of the church were learning hands-on CPR.
“We want everybody to be able to know if someone falls or collapses, that you can save a life,” said Lambda Chi Chapter, Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc Felicia Foster-Gibson. “So we’re just trying to give a community a wealth of resources and information.”
The steps to remember in the event of an emergency are to start hands-only CPR, ask a specific person to call 911, send someone to get the AED, and assign someone to meet emergency medical services (EMS).
Monica Moore-Smith, Howard Moore’s niece, is confident that they are now better prepared to handle a cardiac arrest.
“I want to be able to provide service to save their life if I can,” said Moore-Smith. “It was just important to me to learn and receive training so I could be there to be of help, to save that person.”
Banks-McElrath hopes that other houses of worship will follow their lead.
“Congregations, they all should have an AED,” Banks-McElrath said. “They all should have training for CPR and be ready for an incident because when that happened here, it was tragic.”
The American Heart Association recently provided additional training for five members at no charge. The church has also received a grant to help them get a second AED.
Click here to learn the steps of Hands-Only CPR.
How to perform Hands-only CPR -- this link contains videos with instructions for men, women, children, and infants:
Click here to learn how to use an AED by the American Heart Association.
Click here to learn how to use an AED -- workplace example
For extra credit:
This is the best video I’ve ever seen that demonstrates what’s happening on the inside while you’re doing CPR on the outside. It makes the speed and depth of the compressions totally make sense!