Effort begun to make Havre cardiac safe

If Janet Trethewey has her way, before long:

• Half of Hill County’s population will be trained in hands-on CPR

• Most public institutions such as schools, churches and public buildings will have automatic external defibrillators in case people have cardiac arrest.

• Ambulances, hospitals and police vehicles will have Lucas devices — Physio-Control LUCAS 2 Chest Compression Systems, which provide fast, effective treatment to help keep people alive if they undergo cardiac arrest.

Trethewey runs a statewide program for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to make every community in the state “cardiac-ready.”

She has laid the groundwork for the program in rural southeast Montana, and is moving to the Hi-Line.

She conducted a meeting Wednesday at the Havre-Hill County Library attended by emergency personnel, law enforcement and hospital officials. The session was aimed at getting Havre more prepared for heart emergencies.

Trethewey differentiated between heart attacks and cardiac arrests.

People with heart attacks suffer because arteries have clogged. Generally they feel chest pains and have time to call an ambulance. Generally, but not always, they are older, she said.

Cardiac arrest strikes people of all ages and involves a total shutdown of the heart, she said. In general, she said, only 5 percent of those who suffer such attacks survive, but that figure can dramastically increase if the community takes precautions, she said.

Fast action for victims is the best action, she said. The chances of death dramatically increase as time goes on, she said.

Hopefully, when the entire cardiac-safe community is in process, a victim will receive CPR from someone immediately after being stricken.

Then, she said, someone will call 911 and they will locate the nearest AED device. The devices will be registered with 911 dispatchers, and they will be able to locate one close by. The victim will receive AED treatment until emergency personnel arrive and administer the Lucas device while transporting the patient to the hospital.

The most important thing the average citizens can do is learn CPR, she said.

She is hoping to establish a cadre of people who can teach CPR.

She will approach civic groups such as the Lions, Rotary and Elks clubs and senior citizen groups.

Trethewey is hoping schools will join in the effort, and that other people could as well.