The Cayman Heart Fund (CHF) recently received a generous donation from St. Matthews University.

The University offers CPR and BLS classes through-out the year and a portion of the funds collected are donated to the CHF supporting their work in the Cayman Islands.

Dr. Qing Zhong, Instructor and coordinator for the program said, “Our goal is to work together with CHF to enhance the awareness of emergency care as well as the successful rate of rescue of cardiac arrest and choking for medical staff and non-medical personnel in the Cayman Islands.”

Qualified students receive a certificate authorized by the American Heart Association. “We are so pleased when students let us know that they are no longer afraid of an emergency situation and that the examples and one on one interaction made all the difference in feeling confident enough to help.” Said Dr. Zhong.

St Matthews University (SMU) is a school of Medicine providing quality, affordable medical and veterinary education. Since 1997, more than two thousand students have obtained their MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MVD (Doctor of Veterinary Medical) degrees from SMU.

The University’s Dean and Professor of Pathology, Dr. Amitabha Basu said, “we are proud to be associated with the CHF in delivering essential lifesaving skills to the people of the Cayman Islands.  We have been providing BLS training to local medical, paramedical staff members, students, and non-medical personnel since July 10, 2010.”

“There is an urgent need to make CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation) training a must in schools and colleges and especially at the community level so that family members of those people, who fall under high risk zone for developing heart ailments, can give immediate medical assistance in times of emergency. Knowing how to give CPR properly can be a great asset and can save the life of a person when his or her heart stops beating.”

Cayman Heart Fund, Board Chairman, Mr. David Dinner, also mentioned his appreciation to the University’s instructors for their ongoing support and commended the instructors on their commitment to saving lives in the Cayman Islands.

BLS Instructor, Dr. Anup Rao said, “we support the CHF’s mission of improving the cardiovascular health of the people of the Cayman Islands. Basic life support (BLS) is an important life-saving tool — not to ‘treat’ the person but to buy some valuable time until the emergency medical aid arrives.”

For more information about the CPR and BLS classes at SMU please contact the Cayman Heart Fund.

The Cayman Heart Fund is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to educating the public, influencing policy and supporting access to high quality healthcare through various programs and initiatives.

For more information about the Cayman Heart Fund please contact us at (345) 916-6324 or [email protected].