
BY NANCY GAGNET | MIRROR REPORTER — Students in Maumee High School health classes will have better equipment to learn important lifesaving skills thanks to a donation from the American Heart Association.
On September 17, Heidi Nafziger, the American Heart Association development director, delivered a new hands-on CPR kit to Maumee High School.
Sponsorships through the Heart Walk campaign have allowed the organization to purchase and donate the kits, Nafziger said.
“Dana Corporation, here in the area, elected to donate in-school CPR kits,” she said. “These kits provide all materials to do hands-on training.”
The hands-only CPR training is required by the state for high school graduates, and the kits will last up to 10 years, she said.
“Seventy percent of cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals, and a lot of kids in underserved areas live with grandparents or an older generation. That is why it is important for school-age students to know CPR,” she added.
The American Heart Association has donated 14 kits to local schools this year. Nafziger could not say how much each kit cost.
MHS health education teacher and athletic trainer Kurt McClurg will use the kits to teach first aid and CPR.
“Our goal is to have students score 100 when they do the compressions,” he said. “This kit is another tool that we will have that allows students to actually see the mannequin in the classroom. It will help prepare them for emergencies.”
The American Heart Association Heart Walk takes place in May.