Volume 7 Issue 24 November 30, 2012

PRESBYbulletinPenn Presbyterian Medical Center

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PPMC PartiCiPates in CPR HoSPital-initiatEd training ProjeCtAccording to the American Heart Association, cardiac arrest is the abrupt loss of heart function caused by the heart’s electrical system malfunctioning. Each year about 295,000 emergency medical services-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. And as many know from the loss of loved ones, cardiac arrest is one of our nation’s leading killers.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation – or CPR – is an easy-to-learn technique that can double a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival, but only if administered immediately and effectively. Sadly, less than one third of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims received CPR from a bystander. Why?

There are several barriers preventing widespread CPR education dissemination to the public: the need for trained CPR-certified instructors to conduct a course, and the

cost and length of a course itself. In addition, many CPR training activities occur in the workplace or in a school among younger, healthier subjects. However, most sudden cardiac arrests occur in the home with spouses of similarly-aged family members.

To help improve the odds of survival for our patients once they leave our hospital, PPMC is participating in the CPR Hospital-Initiated Training Project. The program was first piloted at PPMC in 2010. Championed from the start

Community E-cycling DayRecycle your old electronics!

thursday, december 6, 2012 8am-12pm Saunders Park (39th & Powelton)

People’s emergency Center and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center are proud to offer you the opportunity to responsibly recycle obsolete electronics including televisions, computers, CDs, VCrs, etc.

this free service is available to everyone in the community – residents, employees, and business owners alike.

electronics will be recycled by eForce Compliance. all electronic devices with a plug will be accepted. no sMoKe DeteCtors or Large aPPLianCes will be accepted. all data media will be destroyed or wiped.

For more information, please contact Kevin Musselman at 215.382.7522, x245 or kmusselman@pec-cares.org.

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U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah – pictured above with PPMC’s senior leadership and Cultural diversity Committee – addressed a full audience at the recent annual Cultural diversity Conference. Fattah spoke on the topic of health care reform and providing care to vulnerable populations.

by Jim Kurtz, RN, the initiative has seen great success over the years. In fact, earlier this year, the project grew and is now being carried out in seven other facilities in the region, including HUP and PAH.

“The goal of the project is to use the hospital as a unique ‘point of capture’ to empower at-risk families with the life-saving tool of CPR,” said Audrey L. Blewer, MPH, project manager.

Through the project, CPR training is offered on the cardiology and telemetry wards where nurses work with family members of patients with cardiovascular risk factors to learn the life-saving skill of CPR. Families with at-risk members will be sent home with an American Heart Association “CPR Anytime Kit” – a 25-minute program complete with a personal inflatable manikin and instructional DVDs. “This Anytime Kit overcomes many of the barriers to traditional CPR courses, such as timing and expense,” said Blewer, “and emphasizes hand-on-practice, allowing participants to gain confidence and be willing to share what they’ve learned with others.”

The project is part of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and led by Principal Investigator, Benjamin Abella, MD, MPhil, of the Center for Resuscitation Science at HUP. In addition to teaching and empowering others within and outside of the hospital environment to save lives with CPR, the study will also follow-up with participants to track instruction retention, all in an effort to better refine training methods.

Many thanks go out to the PPMC volunteers who have been an integral part of this project for the last few years!

Sophia Turner Retires After 42 Years of Service

PPMC PartiCiPates in CPR HoSPital-initiatEd training ProjeCt

Congratulations and best wishes to Sophia turner, Medical records analyst, who has retired after 42 years of service at PPMC.

on november 9, 35 of sophia’s colleagues gathered in the Medical

Conference room to celebrate sophia’s contributions to PPMC and bid her a fond

farewell. in an effort to fulfill sophia’s request that Michelle obama attend her party, sophia’s colleagues ordered in a life-size stand-up of the First Lady for the festivities. the celebration culminated with sophia leading a soul train down the hall.

sophia will truly be missed!

Penn Medicine Cares Foundation grant – there’s stiLL tiMe!

Don’t forget, you can still apply for a grant from the Penn Medicine CAREs Foundation Grant Program to help fund your outreach projects. The deadline for applications for the next round of recipients is

December 1, 2012. For more information or to apply for a grant, please visit http://pennmedicine.org/community/.