Submitted 2022-08-10
I am currently a Paramedic for the City of Cleveland. When I am not on the ambulance I am teaching community CPR to the residents of Cleveland. During my time as a Paramedic and responding to 911 calls, I noticed that we had a lack of care from bystanders before we arrived on scene. In a perfect world, as soon as an emergency happens EMS would be on scene in an instant. Unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world and it takes EMS crews up to 10 minutes to arrive on scene. Because of longer response times of EMS, bystander intervention is extremely important. This is why the Gordon Square CPR organization was developed.
What is Gordon Square CPR? This program is a non-profit and free community CPR and first aid course. This program is available to any resident of Cleveland for free. Leading this program is myself and other concerned Paramedic in Cleveland. We provide our students with all the materials they need to complete the course. Students learn the basic skills to recognize the need for CPR. Students also learn first aid and how to treat common injuries. With the rise of gun violence in Cleveland, students all learn how to safely provide care to an individual who is injured. Another rising issue all across the world is the opioid epidemic. We also teach our students how to administer narcan. We also work with Metro hospital to provide students with “Project DAWN” kits. These kits contain 2 doses on intranasal narcan and also directions of to administer them.
After students are finished with the class, they now have the heartsavers certification and the skills to treat someone in distress. Another goal of our program is to make sure that our students feel comfortable providing care. When speaking to bystanders on the scene of a critical patient the common reason care was not provided is because of fear. Many bystanders have fear of providing the wrong care, so they choose to wait until EMS arrives on scene. We make sure that students feel confident about their skills before the class is over. We also provide students with access to the “Pulse Point” application. Through the Gordon Square program, we also provide local businesses with AEDs that also include a first aid kit. When students utilize “Pulse Point” this application provides the location of the closest AEDs. As you may know, early defibrillation is key to patient survival in a cardiac arrest.
What is my goal? The reason this scholarship is needed is because I have decided to advance my education. I will be attending Kent State University of their Paramedic to Nursing program. As a nurse, I feel that I will have more knowledge to provide my students. Also as a nurse, I feel that I will have more opportunities to diverse careers within healthcare.
The reason I am so interested in this field is because of the help it provides to my community. As a child, I was always interested in helping others. I was the 2nd child of four to a single mother. My mother tried to give us everything we wanted but she still needed help. At a young age, I helped my mother care for my other siblings. We were extremely low income and have to utilize the government for assistance. The neighborhood I lived in was also other low-income families with similar struggles. As you might have guessed, this area was not the safest for young children. We had to deal with gun violence and lots of crime. As an adult, these situations have always stuck with me. Growing up the way I did challenged me to be something better. I now want to use the knowledge I have to provide better education to families in these communities. With the help of your scholarship, I will be able to improve my education and make the change that is needed in my community.
For more information regarding Gordon Square CPR, we can be found online and on Facebook. Thank you for your time.
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