HCA Florida Riverview Emergency hosts a Hands-Only CPR and first aid event at ECHO Riverview

A team ofnurse educators from HCA Florida Riverview Emergency, A part of HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, hosted a Hands-Only CPR and first aid event at ECHO, (Emergency Care Help Organization) in Riverview. ECHO staff from the Riverview and Brandon location learned how to perform Hands-Only CPR in an emergency cardiac event and lifesaving first aid.

"The team from HCA Healthcare was incredible to work with. With over 800 families served each month, it is imperative that the ECHO team know what to do if a health crisis arises. While the CPR training was a great refresher, the robust Q&A session on first aid was informative, applicable and left us with concrete action plans," said Eleanor Saunders, executive director of ECHO.

In the emergency response training, nurses taught the basics of Hands-Only CPR. It's the best way for a bystander outside of a hospital to step in and save a life before EMS arrives. Providing CPR to an individual in cardiac arrest as soon as possible can double or even triple a person's chance of survival. Hands-Only CPR is a simple and efficient way for someone to help keep blood flowing to the brain and vital organs and it does not require mouth-to-mouth breathing.

Nurses taught the ECHO team how to identify when someone does not have a pulse, call 911 and begin performing compressions in the center of the chest fast and hard at 100-120 BPM (beats per minute).

The team reviewed first aid best practices, including helping someone having an anxiety attack, stopping bleeding and administering life-saving medication for opioid overdoses. In addition, HCA Florida Riverview Emergency provided supplies to ECHO's first aid kit, so the team has what it needs to provide emergency care.

ECHO provides members of the community who may have lost their job, experienced reduced income due to health issues, suffered a house fire or faced hardship with essentials from food supplies to clothing to hygiene supplies for their family.

"As a local resident, I have seen families struggling, living out of their cars without food and clean clothing. No person or child should have to live without necessities. ECHO makes it easier for families like the ones that I have grown to care for to receive resources to make their lives better. It was great to work with the ECHO team to help prepare them if an emergency should arise. They are a wonderful partner in supporting the health of our community," said Anna Hendrix, emergency services manager at HCA Florida Riverview Emergency.

HCA Florida Riverview Emergency is located at 12530 US 301 in Riverview. It provides emergency care for the entire family 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. HCA Florida Riverview Emergency is a part of HCA Florida Brandon Hospital's emergency department.