Supporting cardiac care and rapid response training programs are at the forefront for the Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation.

For all First Responders and Emergency Workers, training sequences, check lists and knowing your equipment are key to ensuring the effective delivery of service. When a life is on the line, being able to respond quickly with precision is paramount.

The Comox Valley Hospital’s rapid response training program is proven to shorten the response time when a patient goes into cardiac arrest within the hospital, increasing their chance of survival. In fact, research has shown that one life is saved for every mock rapid response practiced per 100 hospital beds per year.

“Mock Code Blue Training unites healthcare professionals from different departments and allows us to work through a variety of scenarios to improve how we respond as a team,” explains Dr. Albert Houlgrave, Emergency Department Physician and Medical Director of the Mock Code Blue Training Program. “In the first year of the program, we were able to significantly reduce our response times, increasing survival rates, and building capacity throughout the hospital to confidently respond.”

Practice makes perfect is one of the leading principles of the program, respectfully a principle very familiar to SAR personnel and other first responders from 19 Wing Comox. The Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation wants to express their sincere gratitude for 19 Wing’s support throughout the year and their dedication to serving our country and our community.

Click here for more information about the cardiac care campaign or visit our priorities page to learn about our other current projects.

Photo (left to right): Members of the Mock Code Blue Training Team at the Comox Valley Hospital: Emily Atkinson, Shelagh Kantor, Dr. Albert Houlgrave, Lindsey James, and Bronwen Le Guerrier.

Article originally published in Totem Times, 19 Wing Comox (Vol 62, #22, Festive Edition)