• Patient Portal
  • Pay My Bill
  • Request an Appointment
  • 855-429-7633
Hays Medical Center
  • About Us
  • Providers
  • Services
  • Careers at HaysMed
  • Patients & Visitors
  • Contact Us
  • search
  • Patient Portal
  • Pay My Bill
  • About Us
  • Providers
  • Services
  • Careers at HaysMed
  • Patients & Visitors
  • Contact Us
  • search
  • Patient Portal
  • Pay My Bill

Blog

Hays Medical Center > DeBakey Heart Institute News > In case of emergency

In case of emergency

By Gayla Wichman - In DeBakey Heart Institute News, HaysMed News - February 29, 2016

Copy of 2016-02-27 09.09.50

by Maggie Gephardt
Hays Daily News
Feb 28, 2016

Emergencies, including heart attacks, strokes or choking incidents can happen anywhere at any time, and Hays Medical Center is taking steps to help ensure people are ready.

The hospital invited the community to take part in its free “Stayin’ Alive Hands-Only CPR” training course Saturday at the Center for Health Improvement.

“The disco song, ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is the same beat you need when you do compressions,” said Debbie McLaren, education certification course coordinator at HaysMed.

A crowd of people filed into the center gymnasium to learn updated techniques involving breathing, compressions and timing.

Don Klaus, Hays, attended with his granddaughter, Cadee, 8.

“We came so we could learn to save lives, and especially so I can take care of my grandkids,” Klaus said.

Volunteer instructors from HaysMed, Fort Hays State University and several other organizations led the course, according to McLaren.

“The brain can only go a very short time without oxygen,” said Lillian Slater, director of education for Ellis County EMS. “If the bystanders don’t start it, even if we’re the quickest we can be, we’re not going to usually get there in time to have a good outcome.”

Slater explained how CPR techniques have become easier to learn over time because the steps have been simplified.

“It isn’t that important to do the ventilations, as long as they can do compressions,” she said. “When people collapse from cardiac arrest, they still have oxygen in their blood, so if bystanders can just pump that around, it can be successful.”

The HaysMed Foundation provided CPR kits for participants to take home, which included an instructional DVD and blow-up mannequins.

HaysMed has conducted the community CPR course for approximately 17 years, according to McLaren, who said the hospital usually offers it around the end of February or beginning of March.

“You really want to get that CPR going for when EMS arrives,” McLaren said. “Time is everything when it comes to saving a life.”

  • cpr
  • cpr training
  • hays
  • hays ks
  • hays medical center
  • hays medical center foundation
  • haysmed
← HaysMed Pharmacist Earns Board Certification
Swimming Lessons Offered at HaysMed’s Center for Health Improvement →
Related Posts

Recent Posts

  • HaysMed Acquires Advanced Cardiac Imaging Test for Diagnosing Heart Disease
    March 9, 2023
  • HaysMed Nurse Recognized with Daisy Nurse Leader Award
    March 2, 2023
  • HaysMed Orthopedic Surgeon Recognized for Literary Contributions
    February 17, 2023
  • HaysMed Nurse Recognized with Daisy Award
    January 23, 2023
  • HaysMed Honors Nurses Completing the RN Residency Program
    January 18, 2023
  • HaysMed Nurse Receives Critical Care Certification
    January 9, 2023
  • HaysMed Pharmacist Earns Board Certification as an Oncology Pharmacist
    November 29, 2022
  • HaysMed Unveils the Most Up-to-Date MRI Technology in the Region
    November 28, 2022
  • HaysMed Opens Pain Center
    November 28, 2022
  • HaysMed Offers Cementless Total Knee Replacement
    November 10, 2022

2220 Canterbury | Hays, KS 67601

855-429-7633

Convenient Care/Walk-In Clinic

3216 Vine, Suite 20 | Hays, KS 67601

785-261-7065

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

M-F 8AM - 7:30P
Saturday 9AM - 4:30PM
Sunday 11AM - 4PM

Nurse Hotline

1-855-HaysMed

M-F 4:30PM - 8AM

Weekends & Holidays 24hrs

© Hays Medical Center Patients Rights & ResponsibilitiesNo Surprise DisclosureNondiscrimination StatementNotice of Privacy PracticesGood Faith Estimate