Akron Life February 2022

Go Red For Women

Amir Snell

the power in the caregiver’s hands with this American Heart Association program.” Dr. Ciara Dennis-Morgan is the Clinical Director at Minority Behavioral Health Group in Akron, one of the agencies that received some of the Infant CPR Anytime Training Kits. Minority Behavioral Health Group serves as a resource for minorities, providing counseling, educa tion, outreach, and consultation services. “Preventing infant mortality has always been a focus at Minority Behavioral Health Group,” Dr. Dennis-Morgan says. “What this collaboration with the American Heart Association brings to

Go Red for Women is an initiative designed to increase women’s heart health awareness and serve as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women. It claims more women’s lives than all forms of cancer combined. Losing one woman to cardiovascular disease is one too many. Awareness is critical.

the table is the ability for these mothers to take home kits that allow them to practice CPR on their own and a DVD to help teach other loved ones as well.” Dr. Dennis-Morgan says the kits were gone in a matter of days, speaking to the need of more Infant CPR Anytime Training Kits in our community. “While we mostly serve women who are under served and underrepresented, we all know that infant mortality can happen to women across socioeconomic status. We never turn anyone away,” says Dr. Dennis-Morgan. “The more kits that are donated, the more infant lives we could be saving right here in our community.” If you’re interested in being part of the solution and would like to donate Infant CPR Anytime Kits to those in need in our community, reach out to Valerie Stutler at Valerie.Stutler@heart.org.

Flowers made a substantial personal gift to the American Heart Association that provided 100 Infant CPR Anytime Training Kits to three local agencies that work with expectant mothers and families in under-resourced com munities. When done correctly, CPR can save a child’s life by restoring breathing and circula tion until emergency personnel arrive. While CPR was performed on Amir in a hospital, the need for CPR happens most often at home. The Infant CPR Anytime Training Kit includes a skills practice video on DVD or online streaming option and reference card (both in English and Spanish) and an infant CPR mani kin. The kit is designed to teach life-saving skills for infant CPR and infant choking relief in about 20 minutes. Community health workers at Child Guidance & Family Solutions, Minority Behavioral Health Group, and Birthing Beautiful Communities were first trained in infant, child, and adult CPR by the American Heart Association, so they can take those skills and train the expectant mothers they work with. After their training, the expectant mothers received a kit to take home to train other fam ily members and caregivers of their baby, so that if needed, CPR can be administered. “I’m thrilled to support the Infant CPR program that will help more minority parents to cel ebrate their child’s first birthday,” says Flowers. “We can narrow the gap in the morality rate for babies of color by quite literally putting

Thank you to our 2022 Go Red for Women sponsors:

Brennan, Manna, &Diamond, LLC

Westfield Bank

Summit County Public Health

Synthomer Foundation

Hasenstab Architects

FirstEnergy

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