According to the National Safety Council’s Injury Facts, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The Heimlich maneuver is a basic first aid technique that can save lives with only a few abdominal thrusts — but would you feel empowered and knowledgeable enough to do it if needed? PAH’s Sara Cohen, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, a clinical nurse education specialist, is working hard to ensure more members of the community can confidently answer “yes,” including kids.
Cohen has been a long-time volunteer for the School District of Philadelphia, but she wanted to find a way to help students learn and retain practical life skills. When she found the interactive, hands-on Heimlich Heroes program, created by Deaconess Associations, Inc. and the Heimlich Institute, she decided to team up with school nurses and gym and health teachers to lead kidfriendly sessions.
“Kids eat lunch together, run around at recess together, and work together in the classroom, so they need to know how to help each other if something happens,” Cohen said.
Using funding provided by a Penn Medicine CAREs grant, she was able to purchase posters, bookmarks, and special training dolls that feature a diaphragm, trachea, and lungs. If a child performs the maneuver correctly, a piece of foam will pop out of the doll’s mouth. So far, Cohen has taught more than 200 students in fifth through seventh grade at three local public schools, and she anticipates easily passing her initial 500-student goal by the spring. As word spreads and teachers continue to invite her back, she hopes to expand the program to third and fourth graders soon, as well as other schools.
“Each class is different, and sometimes I need to combine my nurse skills and mom skills to keep the kids focused at first, but they really enjoy the hands-on part, and I think it drives home the point that they can be heroes,” Cohen said. “I’ve even heard from a parent that their child came home and wanted to teach the whole family! I’ve really been enjoying helping kids develop these crucial skills.”
To learn more about how you or your team can fund an outreach opportunity, visit PennMedicine.org/Community.