Infant CPR Being Stressed at PHC

Donna Klein demonstrates the use of infant CPR to Mother’s Club President Corrine DiVestea (left), and to board member Jamie Imperati. Thanks to the hospital’s Mother’s Club parents of high risk babies born at Putnam Hospital Center are being discharged with special self-learning CPR modules.

Donna Klein, a nurse educator at the hospital, explained prior to the discharge from the Birthing Center, parents of infants high risk for cardiac arrest or choking undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation training: “Until recently, the moms and dads were advised to resource a number of community resources for CPR training. They were overwhelmed, but thanks to the Mother’s Club, new kits are being sent home with the babies that contain a self-learning module containing a mannequin and DVD allowing for practice. We are talking about life and death for these infants.”

Corrine DiVestea, president of the Mother’s Club, told the COURIER that her membership was thrilled to help by funding the project: “We all believe it is critically important to support our Birthing Center, and training is at the top of the list. The CPR kit will allow new moms to prevent a calamity from occurring.”

The CPR kits mark the third project for the Mother’s Club. In 2008 the organization’s signature program was the Snuggle Halo Sleep Sack. Last year the Lullaby Program was conceived whereby every time a new baby is born at PHC, a lullaby is broadcast over the hospital’s public address system. This year the Infant Anytime CPR Program will hopefully save lives.