Hi, my name is Morgan Hendrich, and I’m the Lead Trainer for Heart Squad. The Heart Squad has been an incredible part of my journey, allowing me to combine my passion for medicine with community outreach. I’m excited to share what we accomplished as guests of the Missouri State Fair Fire Department.
We had the opportunity to teach hands-only CPR to parents and families, many of whom had never been exposed to it before. People practiced compressions on infant, child, and adult manikins, and we also guided them through how to recognize and use an AED. Watching participants leave with more confidence to act in an emergency was truly rewarding.
We also raised awareness about a critical issue: women are significantly less likely to receive bystander CPR. In Missouri, the rate is only about 13%. A major reason for this disparity is hesitation to perform chest compressions on women because of their anatomy. Unfortunately, due to the higher costs of female manikins, most CPR programs aren’t able to address this issue in training.
Thanks to the Heart to Heart Grant from the Alpha Phi Foundation, we’ve been able to bring anatomically correct female manikins into the community. Training with these manikins helps people become more comfortable performing CPR on women, breaking down barriers and ultimately saving more lives.
Being at the state fair reminded me why this mission matters so much. Equipping everyday people with the skills and confidence to respond can make the difference between life and death.”
FFAM
