Latest news with #defibrillators
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mass. student turns terrifying choking incident into legislative action
For Madeleine Elizabeth Jackman, the only thing scarier than choking as members of her family looked on was realizing that 'no one sitting around me knew what to do.' 'In a whole restaurant full of people, only one customer, a registered nurse, had the proper training to save my life,' Jackman, of Newburyport, said. That fateful moment brought Jackman, the president of her Red Cross Club at Newburyport High School, and a rising senior, into contact with state Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr. And together, they hatched a plan that would become a bill, and, they hope, eventually, the law of the land in the Bay State. Namely, making CPR training and training on defibrillators a high school graduation requirement. And last week, Jackman and Tarr, R-1st Essex/Middlesex, made the case for the bill before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Education. 'There's a lack of CPR training amongst the population, and though I was lucky, it can cost lives,' Jackman told the panel during a public hearing in Gardner Auditorium at the State House last week. 'Now, here's an even more shocking statistic: Massachusetts is one of only seven states in all of America in which CPR is not already a high school graduation requirement,' Jackman continued. 'We are a state that prides itself on providing the best access to health care in the world, and yet we are not granting the same access to our students,' she continued. 'CPR itself is a straightforward yet immeasurably impactful skill that can be taught in under two hours.' Right now, such training is a part of the curriculum in Massachusetts's public schools, Tarr, of Gloucester, told his colleagues. 'But certification in CPR and the use of an AED is not required, making us an outlier among the states,' he said. 'So this bill, and others like it that are before the committee, seek to codify that and ensure that it is a graduation requirement." One of those bills was filed by Rep. Carol Doherty, D-3rd Bristol, a veteran lawmaker who died, at 82, earlier this year after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Doherty's successor, newly elected Rep. Lisa Field, also a Democrat, has taken up the baton and is pursuing passage of that bill. Like Jackman, Tarr dived into the data to make the case for the legislation. Of the more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur nationwide every year, only 41% of the victims receive CPR from passersby before EMTs arrive, Tarr noted. But when that life-saving care is administered, 'it increases the chance of survival by a factor of two to three times.' 'And so it's imperative that we have a trained group of bystanders in our communities to be able to respond to these situations, which happen every day,' Tarr told his colleagues. Kyle McWilliam-Lopez, the executive director of the American Red Cross' northeastern Massachusetts office, underscored the urgency of CPR and AED training. 'With an AED, every second counts, so it's so important that people of all ages learn how to perform CPR and use an AED,' he told lawmakers. 'Now, we have a long history at the Red Cross of training people to save lives. And we continue to address today's most urgent needs,' he continued. 'Last year in Massachusetts, we trained more than 145,000 people in health insurance safety skills. It is our hope that that number continues to rise and that it will carry through to the next generation of lifeguards, EMTs, paramedics and health professionals.' And while she's waited for Beacon Hill to act, Jackman said she took matters into her own hands, starting a group called 'The Heart Stars' initiative, a program where she and her classmates teach CPR. 'I've seen a real community interest in learning CPR and making training more accessible,' Jackman told lawmakers. 'But the reality is that it is a struggle for adults to fit a CPR class amid their busy lives.' 'The solution is our youth,' she said, noting that making CPR certification a graduation requirement is an 'incredible opportunity to ensure that every future adult in Massachusetts can adequately perform CPR.' Markey plays the endorsement game Normally, we regard political endorsements in much the same way that we view baseball cards: They're fun to collect and trade with your friends, but only a handful have any lasting value. That has not stopped U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., from gallivanting around the state and sewing up key endorsements as he runs for reelection on Capitol Hill. And, of course, to head off any more potential primary challengers. Markey, 78, of Malden, has faced questions about his age: He'll be 80 on Election Day, as some Democrats push for a generational change in Washington. Alex Rikleen, 38, of Acton, is so far the only Democratic candidate to throw his hat in the ring for 2026. He has never sought elected office before, according to his campaign's website. Last week, Markey claimed the support of key Boston Democrats in the State House, including the very clout-y state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, the North End Democrat who chairs the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, our friends at MASSterList report. That comes on top of key endorsements from U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st District, the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and a roster of influential Western Massachusetts pols. Markey also swung through Newton, the home turf of U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th, who is often mentioned as a possible 2026 contender — though he insists (without actually saying 'No' to a bid) he's running for reelection to his House seat. When the Moon Hits Your Eye, etc. What's the most iconic pizza style? Ask 10 people, and you're going to get 10 different answers. Some will insist it's the thin-crusted New York-style pie. Others? They'll swear by the pillow-y Grandma pizza. If you're west of the Mississippi, get ready to brawl over Chicago-style deep dish. Or maybe Detroit-style is more your speed. And you have to come from Pennsylvania to fully appreciate the joint conundrums of Old Forge and Altoona-style pizza. But the Bay State? There's a plethora of pizza, but none that can lay claim to being the signature style. Enter state Sen. Michael Brady, D-2nd Plymouth/Norfolk, who's got a bill in the oven that would make the iconic South Shore bar pizza the state's official pie. As Axios notes, the bill could face a fight. What with the North End being a redoubt for New York-style and the legendary Neapolitan-style pie. Whatever happens, the debate will likely be ... delicious ... What's your fave style? Whose pizza reigns supreme? Let me know at jmicek@ Mass. Senate passes 'Blue Envelope' bill Lawmakers in the majority-Democrat state Senate have approved legislation designed to avert potentially difficult interactions between law enforcement and people living with autism spectrum disorder. The 'Blue Envelope' bill, sponsored by Sen. Joanne M. Comerford, D-Hampshire/Franklin/Worcester, authorizes special blue envelopes for people with autism spectrum disorder that hold the driver's license and registration. The front of the envelopes includes specific instructions for law enforcement officers on the driver's diagnosis, impairments, triggers, emergency contact information, as well as best practices for communicating, Comerford's office said in a statement. The program is voluntary. And in other states where it's in place, such as Connecticut, it's been shown to reduce stress and improve safety during traffic stops — which are pretty stressful, in general. 'The Blue Envelope bill makes our commonwealth a safer place for people who are neuro-diverse,' the Northampton lawmaker said. 'It moves us closer to equal opportunity and access for people of all abilities.' The bill now heads to the state House for further action. Monday Numbers Last week's Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll provided some interesting insights into the mood of the voters in the state's largest city when it comes to such key issues as education, affordability and housing. (And, oh yeah, that whole mayoral campaign thing, too). The poll found Boston voters pretty bullish on the Boston Police Department, with more than two-thirds (66%) saying they believed the department 'generally [does] a good job and [treats] people of different races fairly, even if there are a few bad apples on the force.' Which doesn't mean, however, that a majority of city voters wouldn't like to see some changes. More than half of the poll's 500 likely voter respondents (52.2%) said they'd support 'cutting some funding from the police and using the money for social services — for instance, to help the homeless and the mentally ill." Thirty-eight percent of respondents opposed the proposition, while 9.2% were undecided. The poll, conducted from July 13 to July 16, had a margin of error of 4.4%. Read more MassLive Politics coverage The 3 big numbers to care about in the new Boston mayoral poll — and one bonus ADL says it's tracking group that took credit for State House vandalism 4 rich Mass. colleges dodged a big Trump tax, and may have an unlikely ally to thank Mass. Dems to use summer break to hit GOP on Epstein, 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Will it work? Boston kicks Republic to the curb; will start imposing fines over trash strike Mass. House approves massive $1.2B roads and bridges bill. Here's what's in it for you Mass. reps meet with ex-Columbia grad student detained by ICE, later released Gabriel House fire ratchets up state's assisted living probe; here's what might come of it They Said It 'That Harvard education is paying off for you.' — U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs jabs a Trump administration attorney during a hearing on canceled government funding for Harvard University. What Goes On Hundreds of renters from across Massachusetts are expected to converge on the State House on Tuesday as a legislative panel hears testimony on a bill that would impose new limits on rent increases. The proposal sponsored by Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-2nd Middlesex, would limit those hikes to the inflation rate, with a cap of 5%. It's set to get an airing before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the Gardner Auditorium in the State House. Those renters are expected to start the day with an 11:30 a.m. rally on the State House steps on the Beacon Street side of the building, organizers said in an email. 'Out-of-control housing costs driven by corporate real estate investors make it impossible for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents to make ends meet,' they argued. Turned up to 11 The Goo Goo Dolls and Dashboard Confessional co-headline a show at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston's Seaport neighborhood at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (tickets and more information here). From 1995, here's 'Name,' the tune that put the Goo Goo Dolls on a path to stadium-sized popularity. Your Monday Long Read If you're one of the millions of people who log onto Reddit every day, congratulations, you're helping to keep one of the last vestiges of the delightfully weird, non-corporate, old internet alive. But thanks to the rise of AI, the site is facing new challenges, even as its popularity explodes thanks to folks who've just had it with algorithm-driven social media. Writing for NYMag's Intelligencer, John Herrman, explains the tension. Here's the germane bit: 'According to Similarweb, it's one of the largest properties online; if you take away social apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and utilities like Google and ChatGPT, its closest competition among websites is Wikipedia. 'In 2023, according to the company, Reddit had around 60 million unique visitors a day; its latest earnings report puts the number at 108 million a day, 400 million a week, and, according to conservative estimates, well over a billion different people using it every month. About those earnings reports: In 2024, Reddit went public. Its stock price popped, then climbed alongside its traffic. Revenue is way up, and after years of losses, the company eked out a slim profit in the last quarter.' 'Why now? Reddit's co-founder and current CEO, Steven Huffman, suggests the answer is obvious. 'When we started Reddit, it was a web page of 25 links from around the internet,' he says. 'Now, 20 years later, you're stumbling into some thread where people are telling stories they've never told before and it drifts into life advice for someone who lives 2,000 miles away.' He didn't see that coming, he says, but 'in hindsight, it actually makes a lot of sense.' That's it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@ Have a good week, friends. Read more analysis from John L. Micek A nicotine-free Mass.? These lawmakers say 'yes' | Bay State Briefing She got out. Then she gave back: How a Boston woman went from incarceration to inspiration The Revolution started here. These Mass. lawmakers think the Democrats' reboot should too Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Naloxone kits, defibrillators to be required in all B.C. high schools by December
Social Sharing Naloxone kits and defibrillators will be required in all secondary schools in British Columbia by the end of the year. The change is part of an updated healthy emergencies policy from the province that will also see Grade 10 students trained in first aid during gym class, beginning in September. Students will be taught CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs), but schools will not be required to provide naloxone training, according to the Ministry of Education and Childcare. Tobias Zhang is happy about the changes. The Grade 12 student at Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver has been an advocate for AEDs in schools since his friend died after going into cardiac arrest at school three years ago. "There was no AED to help save my friend when he needed one," he said. A year after his friend died, Zhang founded a group to fundraise for the installation of an AED at his school. WATCH | Zhang calls for defibrillators in schools following friend's death: Student pushes for defibrillator access in Vancouver schools 8 months ago A Point Grey Secondary School student, whose friend died in 2022 during basketball practice, says having a defibrillator on site could have made all the difference. Tobias Zhang is now pushing to get the lifesaving technology into schools — something staff say they're working on. He says it took another year of meeting with school board chairs for the Vancouver School Board to accept his group's donation of about $14,000. In May, the board earmarked $250,000 of its own budget to purchase and install AEDs in all the district's facilities by September. More training needed Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, commends the decision to stock schools with naloxone kits. "If someone does lose consciousness or go down from an overdose of toxic drugs, their life could probably be saved with naloxone," she said. However, she says she's disappointed that schools won't be required to train students on how to use the life-saving kits. She says that while giving nasal naloxone isn't complicated, training is essential because every second counts when someone is experiencing an overdose. "Until we get a safe supply of drugs in its many variations, those toxic drugs are going to be out there and overdose is a potential outcome," she said. More than 16,000 people have died from the toxic drugs crisis since B.C. declared it a public health emergency in 2016, over 200 of them under the age of 19. McBain says she thinks naloxone training could also make students more alert to the risks of using substances and serve as an educational intervention to prevent overdoses. Abbotsford going a step further In the Abbotsford School District, students will get that extra education. They will be trained on how to administer naloxone, as well as perform CPR and use an AED, according to superintendent Nathan Ngieng. Ngieng says he believes naloxone kits are an important safety measure. "We've seen incidents of overdose death in Abbotsford here, so equipping young people to respond in those emergency situations is really important," he said. He says Abbotsford schools have already had AEDs for close to 10 years and one has already been used to save a student's life. "Because we've had a real-life application, it really hits home for us in terms of understanding how this simple act of including this learning standard could save the life of a student or individual," he said.
BBC News
29-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
West Midlands Police defibrillator funding is 'huge win', says campaigner
Money seized from criminals has been used to pay for life-saving defibrillators to go in 10 West Midlands Police vans in what a campaigner has described as a "huge win".While the force already has defibrillators in firearms and traffic cars, it is now placing devices in vans used by its operational support unit, often for big events like sporting occasions and concerts. Supplied by first aid charity St John Ambulance, a spokesperson added that the devices were "designed for rapid deployment and ease of use, even in high-pressure situations".Naomi Rees-Issitt, who has campaigned for all police vehicles in the UK to be equipped with defibrillators, has welcomed the move. 'Vital step' She set up the OurJay Foundation in memory of her 18-year-old son Jamie Rees, from Wolvey, in Warwickshire, who died after suddenly collapsing on New Year's could have lived, doctors later said, if officers or the public had quicker access to a said the development was "a huge win for public safety and a testament to the power of community campaigning", adding: "Jamie's legacy lives on through initiatives like this." Ch Supt Sarah Burton, head of the operations unit, said it was a "vital step forward" in the ability of the force to respond to emergencies."Our officers are often first at the scene of serious incidents and having defibrillators on board gives them the tools to act immediately," she force used £10,750 secured via the Proceeds of Crime Act, where police seize money from criminal activity and reinvest it into crime prevention and community safety. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Jersey running festival to help fund more defibrillators
An annual running event is donating all its ticket sales to charity to fund more defibrillators for the Festival of the Mile returns for its fourth year on Sunday, with the money raised going towards the Jersey Heart Support Group (JHSG).It will see a range of events held at FB Fields, including races for solo runners, teams, families and said there are currently more than 100 defibrillators on the island, but that more are needed to make them easily accessible to people in all parts of Jersey. "The money would go towards our initiatives, and also the work we do for cardiac teams at the hospital," said Mark Harris from JHSC."We help out with their community days, and raising awareness of heart health."Basically, we want people to get checked out, to know their numbers, and look after themselves," he told BBC Radio Bailey, director of one group behind the festival, Rock n Road Run Company, said: "My Dad died of a cardiac arrest, so this is a subject close to my heart."We really want this to be fun, and inclusive. It doesn't matter about your ability is, and want children involved."Last year JHSG joined us to help the runners, and we have since worked with them to provide mobile defibrillators to several places where running clubs meet."People are being asked to register online.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad of popular builder installs 18 defibrillators in his memory
THE dad of a popular builder who died last year has installed 18 defibrillators in his memory and is determined to keep going. Billy Morley, 45, of Cleator Moor, was on a stag do when he passed away suddenly at a property in Liverpool city centre on June 30, 2024. Billy's dad, Bill Morley, who is well-known as the owner of Cleator Moor Civic Hall, has been fundraising for more defibrillators in west Cumbria. He initially hoped to raise enough money for one defibrillator in Cleator Moor but with the support of his friends, family, local businesses and individuals, he has raised more than £16,000 and 18 of the lifesaving devices have now been installed. Billy Morley pictured with his daughter, April (Image: Family handout) The venue in which Billy passed away was not equipped with a defibrillator and Mr Morley believes this could have made a difference for his son. Mr Morley has been working with the North West Ambulance Service Charity to provide the defibrillators and find suitable locations for them. The 18th defibrillator was installed at Rainbow Nursery in Egremont, on Wednesday. Mr Morley said: 'People are really getting behind this. I'm just pleased that we might be able to save someone's life in the future and it's raising awareness. 'It's crucial that people are aware that they are in their vicinity and helping them understand what they are and raising their confidence about being able to use one. We are arranging training sessions for a lot of people as well. Bill Morley with his son, Billy, who died last year (Image: Family handout) 'I've got a great team behind me. It's all about getting the right people behind you to take this forward.' Megan Stephenson, community resuscitation engagement officer with NWAS, said: 'The fundraising isn't just fundraising, it's lifesaving. The fundraising and community support is amazing. It's all in memory of Billy. 'These do make a difference. 80 per cent of cardiac arrests happen in our communities.' The defibrillators have all been installed by Bill Gair and his son, Bradley Gair, free of charge. Mr Gair said: 'I knew Bill's son. It's our way of putting something back into the system.'
