C5May 11, 2018 | The Mountain Eagle

Story and Photos By Jonathan MentCommunity members

from in and around Wind-ham gathered Saturdaymorning to learn or re-fresh their training inCPR, “cardiopulmonaryresuscitation.”The half-day class in

the community room atthe Windham WastewaterTreatment Plant on SouthStreet attracted so muchinterest a waiting wascreated. Trainer B. Reay

Mahler, administrator forthe town of Cairo andpresident of Durham Res-cue, said about 1,400 to

1,500 people are trainedin CPR in and aroundGreene County annually.It can cost $75 per per-

son, or more but was freefor participants Saturday.Thanks in part to the lateT. Patrick (Pat) Meehan,who served as WindhamTown Supervisor for 38years.Roughly 16 years ago,

a friend asked the long-time public servant whatMeehan wanted his lega-cy to be.After mulling the ques-

tion for about a year heconceived of a foundationdedicated to meeting theunmet and unfulfilled

needs of the citizens.Though Meehan would

serve through 2009, untilhis untimely death fight-ing complications fromsurgery, the Communityof Windham Foundationwas formed shortly afterthe idea was hatched.“I think we met at the

Center Church and morethan few people showedup,” said Foundationboard member Jeri Mil-tenberger, two eveningsahead of Saturday’s train-ing session.“We winnowed it down

to 20 or 30 people andPat went around andpointed, saying ‘you’ll be

the chairman,’ ‘you’ll bethe secretary,’ and soforth,” said Miltenberger.A 501(c)(3) non-profit

was formed and has sincetaken on a wide range ofprojects within the com-munity.That includes high pro-

file things like decoratingthe fence at that sameChurch each Christmas,restoring the fountain inHensonville, and present-ing an annual tree-lightingthere. It’s also includedpartnering with the Vet-erans of Foreign Warsand Rotary Club for theflagpole installed at theWindham Path. Behindthe scenes the foundationsupports numerous con-certs and performances– and these CPR trainingclasses now in their thirdyear.The classes are an ex-

tension of the founda-tion’s Emergency ShelterInitiative. That projectarose after membersheard opportunity knock-ing at the dedication ofWindham’s new HighwayBuilding.“We thought this build-

ing would make a goodshelter in an emergency,”said Denise Meehan whosupports her late hus-band’s legacy through herwork as a foundationboard member.The lodge at Windham

Mountain Resort and theWastewater Treatmentplant are also designatedshelters..In January 2016, the

foundation brought in theRed Cross for training onhow to run a shelter.“These designated shel-ters need to be self-suffi-cient,” said Meehan,adding “If (someone)needs to leave home, thisis where they can go.”The town of Windham

contributed $1,500 to buyand fill plastic bins tostock shelter resourcesat the Highway Garageand treatment plant –such as toothbrushes, dis-posable towels, flip-flopsfor sanitary showers, cof-fee, tea, first aid supplies,and hand sanitizer. Windham Mountain

Resort cited sufficientstores of its own, accord-ing to Meehan and Mil-tenberger, enabling thefunds go further.The Windham Pharma-

cy donated bottled waterand six large capacitycoffee makers. And KarlGonzalez, a former townboard member and nowWindham police chief,helped secure cots fromthe National Guard; new,more versatile radio sys-tems and AEDs, Auto-mated External Defibril-lators. The devices are so-

named because they domuch of the work of de-termining if a shockthrough the chest to theheard could potentiallystop an irregular heartbeat and a allow a normalrhythm to resume follow-ing sudden cardiac arrest.Once turned on, the de-vices narrate a course ofaction for those usingthem.Once AEDs were po-

sitioned, at Town Hall,the treatment plant andhighway garage, the foun-

CPR Training, Increased Readiness AmongCommunity of Windham Foundation Goals

Training mannequin with a pocket mask. A check-valve (not shown) prevents the person administer-ing CPR from receiving backflow from the patient.

The Automated External Defibrillator sitting atopone of boxes built by the highway department tohouse them.

Mahler demonstrates the proper hand position, beforebeginning chest compressions on an adult man-nequin.

Much of the training is delivered through a combi-nation of live action and animated video followed byhands-on instruction and practice with trainingAEDs that do not deliver actual shocks.

dation was able to pursueits goal of CPR training.These are supported

by the separate WindhamFoundation, which helpsfund the work of othergroups focused on thewellbeing of the commu-nity.Of course, achieving

readiness goes beyondone Saturday morning.Three CPR classes willbe held each year.Additionally, 15 to 20

volunteers for the shelterinitiative are also needed.Best practices that arecontained in several rednotebooks – such as han-dling privacy and confi-

dentiality, need to beshared with “team lead-ers.”Residents who weath-

ered Irene in 2011 tunedto WRIP will be relievedto know station Presidentand General Manager JayFink already has a copyof the information.Hopes are to inspire

others to purchase AEDsand get people trained inCPR.The next Community

of Windham FoundationCPR training will be heldOct. 20, 2018. To register,email denisemeehan14@gmail.com or jrwest4335@gmail.com.

Five reasons to Train in CPR and Use of an AED1. “Brain death” doesn’t wait. While waiting for emergency personnel

to arrive after a call to 911, CPR can help minimize the risk of braindamage during the first critical minutes – even if no AED is available.Mahler explained the chance of survival decreases by 7 to 10 percentwith each passing minute, once the heart stops sending blood and glucoseto the brain.2. By some estimates more than 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur

while the patient is at home. You’re more likely to use CPR skills to helpsomeone close to you than assisting a stranger. While many folks think ofthe elderly or ill as being those most likely to need this sort of aid, infantsand children can also be saved by CPR – and ‘Infant CPR’ are part of thetraining given in Windham.3. CPR is fairly easy to learn and can be administered by just about

anyone, at any time if needed.4. Confidence in an emergency comes from training (and retraining)

and preparation – and it can mean the difference between life and death.5. You could save a life! Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the

United States; with less than 30 percent of those experiencing it outsideof a hospital receiving CPR.

Jonathan Ment