Durham Family, in Conjunction with American Heart Association, Gives 60 Infant CPR Kits to The MetroHealth System
The American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Durham family, has provided 60 Infant CPR Anytime Training kits to The MetroHealth System that will be used for educational purposes in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Newborn Nursery and the Simulation Center.
Rob Durham, chair of the Heart of Cleveland campaign, was instrumental in facilitating the donation. Durham served as chair of the Heart of Cleveland fundraising campaign, has volunteered with the AHA for several years, and recently joined the Cleveland Board of Directors.
Durham said he was drawn to the AHA’s work that focuses on health disparities, and support of mission-based programming and research. When his family made a significant donation to AHA, he asked that some of the funding be redirected toward collaborating with other local organizations to improve community health.
“The missions of the American Heart Association and MetroHealth are parallel,” said Durham, a life member of The MetroHealth Foundation Board of Directors. “I wanted to weave the two together. If we can help save lives, that’s what it’s all about.”
Parents will be given the Infant CPR kits at the time their infant is discharged from the hospital.
“We all know newborns don’t come with instruction manuals, so new parents are often afraid they are lacking everything they need to know,” said Connie Eggleston, the NICU nurse manager at MetroHealth.
“No parent wants to think about their child choking or one day needing to perform CPR.”
When done correctly, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can save a child’s life by restoring breathing and circulation until emergency personnel arrives, Eggleston said. “This donation will do so much to aid in parents becoming comfortable with their new lifesaving skill.”
The Infant CPR Anytime training kit was developed by the AHA in coordination with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Each portable kit includes a skills practice video on DVD or online streaming option and reference card (both in English and Spanish) and an infant CPR manikin. The kit is designed to teach life-saving skills for infant CPR and infant choking relief in about 20 minutes.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, MetroHealth’s NICU had a few kits on hand for classes that taught CPR to interested parents. Since then, parents have been offered video instruction and encouraged to seek out available CPR classes in the community.
Premature infants often have conditions that increase the risk of cardiorespiratory arrest after they leave the hospital. The likelihood of cardiac arrest is much higher in infants who needed intensive care at birth. With the challenges these infants face from birth, it is important that families learn how to administer Infant CPR. Simple skills of Infant CPR can make a life or death difference for high-risk, health-compromised newborns.
Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.
