03/18/2016
Leaving the hospital with a newborn can be an anxiety inducing experience for new parents. Especially with the knowledge that choking is the number one unintended cause of death to infants in America. To help relieve some anxiety while providing parents with a practical tool to help care for their baby, the Women and Children’s Center at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital is distributing Infant CPR Anytime® Kits free of charge to families of our youngest patients.
These kits are part of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Infant CPR Anytime® personal learning program. They teach CPR using the AHA’s research-proven “practice while watching” technique, enabling users to learn lifesaving skills while watching an instructional DVD and practicing skills on a personal manikin. This way, parents and caregivers can learn how to relieve a choking infant and perform infant CPR in the comfort of their home in about 20 minutes. It is estimated that for each kit we distribute, an additional 2.5 people will use it to learn or practice infant CPR. Some parents may choose to take the kit prior to the arrival of their baby, while others may opt to leave with the kit after delivery. This new program is funded through generous donations to the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation.