THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 14, 1994 TAG: 9410130165
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 182 lines
BEVERLY D'ANGIOLILLO recalls a frightening incident last year in her Mill Creek neighborhood.
A neighbor's child cut her foot on some glass. Naturally, there was blood. The baby sitter panicked. Not knowing what to do, the sitter sent another neighbor door-to-door to find someone who knew first aid.
``The sitter was in a nervous state, and she was ready to call an ambulance,'' D'Angiolillo said. ``She eventually contacted me, and I went over to the child's house. Being somewhat detached from the situation, I was calm and able to help, drawing on experience and first-aid training I got through the Girl Scouts. There was blood everywhere from the cut, but it wasn't serious and no ambulance was needed. I was able to calm the girl, stop the bleeding and clean the cut. I'm just glad they were able to contact someone who knew what to do.''
That's exactly the idea behind the Neighborhood Helpers, a program jointly sponsored by the Chesapeake Health Department and Chesapeake General Hospital.
The program's mission is to train a group of citizens in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills, equip them with a blood pressure monitor, a detailed medical self-care book and a first aid kit and make them visible throughout their communities.
These trained volunteers should be able to determine if the chest and stomach pains of the elderly man next door is a serious heart attack or just heartburn, if the cut suffered by the kid who fell off his bike needs stitches or if the senior citizen down the street needs to go to a doctor for high blood pressure.
``This concept goes back to the days when neighbors looked after each other,'' said Dr. Nancy Welch, director of the Chesapeake Health Department, the group that came up with the Neighborhood Helpers idea. ``We're utilizing the concept of it `takes a whole village to raise a child,' and in taking that one step further we feel that it `takes a whole community to help one another out.' ''
The program graduated its first 14 trainees at a ceremony last Thursday at Chesapeake General Hospital's Health Resources Center. In addition, the first graduates were also recognized at a recent Chesapeake City Council meeting.
D'Angiolillo joined four others from her Mill Creek neighborhood along with six volunteers from Camelot and three from Riverwalk as the first group to act as community medics/first-aid givers, the first contact before one calls an ambulance or goes to the emergency room.
Although the Chesapeake Health Department had the idea, it really didn't have the funds or marketing skills to make this program a reality, so it turned to Chesapeake General Hospital, Welch said.
``We approached them and they were very receptive to the idea,'' Welch said. ``We thought this program was of great value to the community.''
Hospital officials agreed.
``We think it's a wonderful idea, and are very pleased the way this program has worked out,'' said Donald S. Buckley, president of Chesapeake General Hospital. ``This type of program falls right into our overall mission: improving health care throughout the city. This is good evidence of our interest in and commitment to the community. This type of preventive, first-aid community help is one type of health care reform. If we can get this program throughout the city it will be of great benefit to all citizens.
``We can also prevent unnecessary trips to the emergency room or prevent needless ambulance calls, which will save time and money. These people will be a resource to their community. They will help people through education and early intervention.''
During his address at the program's graduation ceremony, Buckley reminded the Helpers not to go beyond their skills.
``We feel we are trained, but we're not medics or anything,'' said Marie Duncan, a Neighborhood Helper from Riverwalk.
``Mr. Buckley told us to do what we were trained to do and no more. That should be left up to professionals,'' D'Angiolillo said.
Buckley assigned the hospital's marketing department and community relations coordinator Pamela Pascual to transform the idea into a reality.
Pascual contacted and worked with the Mill Creek and Riverwalk volunteers, who had already been trained by the Health Department before the plan was turned over to the hospital.
``We met with them at dinners we held at the hospital,'' Pascual said. ``We needed to rekindle their enthusiasm and keep their interest and training up. Then, through a volunteer citizen, Josephine Felder, we were able to contact others in her Camelot community, get the names of possible volunteers and begin their training sessions.''
Pascual said all three neighborhood groups were trained at the hospital in CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, first aid and such health care skills as blood pressure screening, self care and how to identify signs of life-threatening conditions.
Organizers hope to spread the program throughout the city. The ideal goal is to set up Neighborhood Helpers in every Chesapeake community, according to Welch and Buckley.
Pascual took charge of organizing the training sessions.
``Pam has been an excellent person and very professional with the training,'' said Clyde Mason, a Neighborhood Helper from the Camelot community. ``As I learned more, the more excited I got over the program.''
``We received very good and thorough training,'' Duncan said.
The groups will still meet on a regular basis to swap stories, exchange ideas and learn new skills, Pascual said.
After completion of the training volunteers are equipped with a blood pressure monitor, a first-aid kit and self-care book, ``Take Care of Yourself: The Complete Guide to Medical Self-Care,'' all courtesy of Chesapeake General Hospital.
Pascual said they're planing to make each community aware of its Neighborhood Helpers through identifying signs with the group's logo displayed in each the volunteer's home and signs and phone numbers placed in churches, schools and community centers.
``I enjoy helping people,'' said Mason, who owns the Camelot Convenience Store on Sir Galahad Drive. ``I want to give something back to my community, to help them and show them that I'm concerned. My customers like the idea and many have already come in to get their blood pressure checked.''
``I've always liked being a volunteer, and it's time for me to give back to my community,'' D'Angiolillo said. ``I've been a Girl Scout leader, a cheerleader mom, a team mom and I'm glad to be a Neighborhood Helper. We're hoping this will bring our neighborhood together, that it will help make this a closer knit community. I feel comfortable in this situation and now, with this training, I feel even more confident. Anyone with kids should have this knowledge.''
``It's nice to know these things,'' Duncan said. ``That's what we're all about - to help our neighbors and our community.'' MEMO: NEIGHBORHOOD HELPERS\ The first group of Chesapeake's Neighborhood
Helpers ``graduated'' at a ceremony at the Chesapeake General Hospital
Health Resources Center. Here are their names, contact numbers and the
community they serve:
Camelot
Sylvia Anderson, 485-9208 Josephine Felder, 485-1825 Lois Holloway,
485-1305 Vernon Jennings, 485-5819 Clyde Mason, 487-5421 Janie
Wilkerson, 485-2204
Mill Creek
Beverly D'Angiolillo, 487-4825 Sandra Duke, 485-7132 Babette
Hurlbert, 487-2701, Deborah Johnson, 485-4504 Lonnie Weeks, 487-4772
Riverwalk
Enid Clarke, 548-2784 Marie Duncan, 436-7649 Judy Kelly, 436-9309
If you or your community is interested in a Neighborhood Helpers
program, contact Pamela Pascual at Chesapeake General Hospital,
482-6108.
``The more people involved in the program, the more effective it will
be,'' said Pascual, the program's coordinator.
CAN YOU BE SUED?< When talking to civic groups about the
Neighborhood Helpers program, Dr. Nancy Welch and Pamela Pascual address
the concern of interested citizens over the possibility of lawsuits
against the volunteers.
They cite what is known as the ``Good Samaritan Law,'' from the
Virginia Code Book (8.01-225), which says, ``Any person who, in good
faith, renders emergency care or assistance, without compensation, to
any ill or injured person at the scene of an accident, fire, or any
life-threatening emergency, or en route therefrom to any hospital,
medical clinic or doctor's office, shall not be liable for any civil
damages for acts or omissions resulting from the rendering of such care
or assistance.
``Any person having attended and successfully completed a course in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which has been approved by the State
Board of Health, who in good faith and without compensation renders or
administers emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cardiac
defibrillation or other emergency life-sustaining or resuscitative
treatments or procedures which have been approved by the State Board of
Health to any sick or injured person, whether at the scene of a fire, an
accident or any other place, or while transporting such person to or
from any hospital, clinic, doctor's office or other medical facility,
shall be deemed qualified to administer such emergency treatments and
procedures; and such individual shall not be liable for acts or
omissions resulting from the rendering of such emergency resuscitative
treatments or procedures.''
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Clyde Mason, Camelot Convenience Store owner, checks Bessie
Shealey's blood pressure. ``My customers like the idea and many have
come in to get their blood pressure checked,'' says Mason.
Neighborhood Helpers are equipped with a blood pressure monitor.
Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Beverly D'Angiolillo joined four others from her Mill Creek
neighborhood to act as a community medic.
KEYWORDS: FIRST AID by CNB