OUTREACH EXAMPLES
WITHIN THE HOSPITAL
American Red Cross Blood Drives
Every two seconds someone in the US needs blood. More than 41,000 blood donations are needed every day. Knowing that supplies are often lower than needed, Chester County Hospital hosts several blood drives every year to support the critical effort of the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Between July 2012 and June 2013, the hospital hosted five community blood drives on site, which resulted in 212 people making 182 successful blood donations. One of the drives was coordinated in partnership with the local Girl Scouts to provide them with a location to host their service project. The blood drives, organized by HR Assistant Diane Morrow and the Blood Drive Committee, were promoted to hospital employees and to the community at large.
IN OUR COMMUNITY
Flu Outreach Program
Laurie Schiltz, BSN, RN, CEN, Emergency Department, recently completed her BS in Nursing at Wilmington University. During her community service practicum, Schiltz participated in the Flu Outreach Program for La Comunidad Hispana, an organization that supports Latino residents of southern Chester County. As an organization, it strives "to empower immigrants and low-income residents of southern Chester County to stay healthy, build strong families and lead productive and fulfilling lives." Twice a week during peak flu season, Schiltz and a group of eight people went to different mushroom farms to administer the flu vaccine to the migrant population and farm employees. The hospital supported Schiltz's efforts in this community service project and the successful completion of her BSN degree.
BEYOND THE COUNTY
EMT/Paramedic Training with St. Lucia Medical Professionals
Medic 91 Paramedics and EMTs from Good Fellowship Ambulance & EMS Training Institute have been serving Chester County for more than 30 years. In recent years, they have broadened their scope to train EMTs on the island of St. Lucia. An email received more than four years ago about learning the US standards for paramedic training spawned collaboration between Jerry Peters, BS, Program Director at Good Fellowship Training Institute and a paramedic at Chester County Hospital, and Craig Herman, founder of St. Lucia's Emergency Medical Service. Subsequent talks between the two men grew into plans to send Good Fellowship instructors to train their St. Lucian counterparts. Teams of EMTs have traveled between West Chester and the island, with Chester County paramedics giving guidance and providing training scenarios. Jerry's paramedic colleague, Bob Guiney, also conducts the trainings. This relationship may span two nations, but the groups are united in education for a common cause -- serving the health of their communities. By training the EMS providers in St. Lucia, Chester County's paramedic community has a hand in the care, safety and rescue of people 2,000 miles away.
