Local Community Heroes Honored for Saving Woman's Life at Graduation

CPR and an on-site Automated External Defibrillator supplied by the HeartSafe program used to resuscitate cardiac arrest victim.

Redwood City, Calif., June 13, 2007 – Four local heroes were honored at last night’s Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting for acting quickly to save a life at Woodside High School graduation ceremony held on June 8, 2007. The following responders were recognized by the school district as well as by Sequoia Healthcare District’s HeartSafe Program for their combined efforts in administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the grandmother of a graduating student when the woman suddenly went into cardiac arrest.

Owen Yoch, San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff;

Diana Phillips, Woodside High School Health Aide;

Jerome Clarke, Woodside High School Lead Custodian; and

Sekope Tagilala, Woodside High School Campus Aide

The victim’s daughter and Tagilala were first on the scene to begin administering chest compressions and rescue breaths. Deputy Yoch was credited with calling for Clarke to bring the portable AED unit while he and Phillips took over CPR efforts. Witnesses say that immediately following the AED shock, the victim began breathing on her own again.

Sequoia Union High School District has been a HeartSafe Program Partner since January of 2006, with a total of 23 AED units to be installed throughout the school district. The school district’s administration worked with Sequoia Healthcare District to acquire the units and train staff on their use. Since the 2006 founding of the HeartSafe Program by Sequoia Healthcare District, 227 people have been trained to operate the 38 AED units placed in Peninsula communities to date, and as many as 88 additional units are planned this year.

“This incident demonstrates the most important aspect of the HeartSafe program - training first responders and other members of the local community in the proper use of AEDs,” notes Pamela Kurtzman, Sequoia Healthcare District’s HeartSafe Program Coordinator. “While our HeartSafe equipment is state-of-the-art, it cannot apply and activate itself. The recent victim was extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated group of responders nearby with the knowledge required to save her life. ”

About Sequoia Healthcare District’s HeartSafe Program
Sequoia Healthcare District's HeartSafe Program is a community response system designed to increase the survival rate from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) through education, training in CPR/AED and the strategic placement of publicly accessible Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) throughout the community. An AED is a small, portable device that analyzes heart rhythms. It offers the user voice-prompted instructions and, if determined to be necessary, can deliver a potentially lifesaving shock to a victim in cardiac arrest. Early defibrillation can mean the difference between life and death, an active and healthy life or a vegetative state.

About Sequoia Healthcare District
Headquartered in Redwood City, Sequoia Healthcare District identifies local healthcare needs and collaboratively develops solutions. District tax revenues are used for innovative programs and activities to achieve health, wellness and disease prevention in southern San Mateo County. Communities in the District include Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, Menlo Park, Woodside, Atherton and Portola Valley. For more information, please visit our website at www.sequoiahealthcaredistrict.com.

About Sequoia Union High School District
Established in 1895, the Sequoia Union High School District was the first school district to provide high school education between San Francisco and San Jose. The students and schools of the District have consistently won county, state, and national recognition for excellence, and our professional teaching and support staff is second to none. Our students consistently perform in the highest percentiles on state and national tests. For more information, please visit our website at www.seq.org.