CPR kits donated to Nursing Pathway Programs to enhance PBSC's Cardiac Emergency Response Plan & Healthy Heart community initiatives

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Palm Beach State College's Nursing Pathway Programs received a generous donation of 30 CPR kits valued at $3,000 from the American Heart Association and the HCA Florida HealthCare Foundation.

The donation, presented at the Lake Worth campus Allied Health Building, aims to implement cardiovascular training, and improve the plan for heart care at the College.

This contribution is part of a larger initiative to train faculty, staff, students, their families, and the surrounding communities in CPR and improve the comprehensive Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, designed to better equip students, faculty, staff, and the community to handle cardiac emergencies.

The plan will unfold in three phases: the first phase involves training faculty and staff from all College campuses, with the initial training session scheduled for Professional Development Day on March 20, 2025, at the Lake Worth campus. The second phase will extend training to the friends and family of faculty and staff, while the third phase will offer free CPR training to community members.

"We were actively seeking funding to launch this initiative because our goal is to provide the resources necessary to ensure as many people as possible are prepared to save a life," said Dr. Carrington Belle, nursing pathway manager.

Key contributors to the College’s Emergency Response Plan include Germany Dixon, Ed.D., PBSC’s associate dean of Public Safety, and Mikel Kline, PBSC’s health and safety manager, who both attended the donation presentation. Kline described the plan as a project driven by both passion and necessity.

Also present at the event were Ashley Vertuno, CEO of HCA Florida’s JFK North Hospital; Ken West, CEO of HCA Florida’s JFK Hospital; Sheree Wolliston, vice president of community impact at the American Heart Association; Stacey Comerford, executive director of the American Heart Association; Barbara Cipriano, provost of the Lake Worth campus; Tunjarnika Coleman-Ferrell, Ed.D., PBSC’s vice president of Academic Affairs; as well as PBSC’s Nursing and Public Safety faculty, staff and students.

"The work that Dr. Belle and her team are doing at PBSC will have a profound impact on cardiac emergency survival rates in our community," said Wolliston during the event. "We at the American Heart Association, we strive to educate the community on what sudden cardiac arrest is and what it looks like, and train lay people to not be bystanders but hop into immediate action so that CPR begins immediately. With PBSC’s plan, their students will help us achieve these important goals, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts." Ultimately, the success of this initiative will depend on the preparedness of everyone, reinforcing the importance of maintaining healthy hearts and being heart-ready to act during emergencies to save a life. To view photos from the event, click on the image below.

To see photos from the event, view the American Heart Association Donation Acceptance Flickr album.