BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — The Highland Family Success Center already offers many valuable services to the community and always seeks to do more. Director Wilson Santos said the center, in collaboration with Councilwoman Ada Erik, will be offering first aid and CPR courses free of charge.
“Ada believes that everybody in our community should be trained in CPR, which is why she offers the course at no cost,” Santos said. There is a small fee of $15 for the American Heart Association certification card.
Erik is a township council member and former volunteer EMT. Santos said Erik is “an overall caring community member who wants to see our community grow and thrive and that is why she supports the services of the Highlands Family Success Center.”
“I started this volunteer thing a while back because there is a need for it," said Erik. "It’s expensive because you have to pay for the instructor; if you get an instructor for free, it’s not expensive. I and my fellow instructors wanted to basically get everybody skilled and people need the certification. The number one cause of death in adults is sudden cardiac arrest." If everyone knew the CPR skills, she said, more people would survive because it's rare someone is alone when this happens.
The courses are Professional American Heart Association courses. The CPR course includes compressions, their rate and quality, ratio of compressions to ventilation; how to ventilate: mouth-to mouth, mouth to mask, bag valve mask and the newest part of the program, team dynamics — working with a partner.
The First Aid course includes basic bandaging, splinting, learning about anaphylactic shock and more. It’s a four hour course, the same one you would take to become an EMT.
The courses will be offered once a month.
Santos noted some places charge $150-200 per workshop for these courses.
On Friday, Sept. 16, they will offer CPR at 10 a.m. and on Saturday, Sept. 17, they’ll offer first aid at 9 a.m. Contact the HFSC for information.
In the near future they’re planning to offer programs in financial literacy and parenting. Right now they offer activities in those areas, but will soon initiate curriculum-based programs.
There is no charge for any of the services they provide to the community, including referrals to other agencies for social service needs, mental and physical assistance and job training opportunities. They will assist with resume preparation and re-entry into the workforce.
Homework help is available for grades PreK through 8. The center staff and volunteers help children complete their assignments at their own pace and review any material they are having trouble understanding. The staff can accommodate high school students by appointment only. A parent or guardian must accompany children under 14.
Check the center’s website calendar for time and availability of programs at highlandsfsc.org. Go to westmilfordmessenger.com for a listing of programs offered at the Highlands Family Success Center.