Texas Health Winnsboro Instructors Teach Local Boy Scouts
CPR Techniques for Important Merit Badges

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Winnsboro recently hosted CPR classes to help local Boy Scouts learn life-saving first aid skills and advance their scouting careers.

Texas Health Winnsboro instructors taught the boys CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is a combination of rescue breathing and chest compressions delivered to people suffering heart attacks. Without it, cardiac arrest victims can suffer loss of blow flow to the brain and other parts of the body.

“CPR is a critical thing to know because it can buy time until paramedics arrive,” said Vicki Johns, RD, LD, CDE, Texas Health Winnsboro’s community health advocate. “Knowing this first aid technique can save lives.”

Vicki is pictured here with the scouts, Ryan Nelson, Drury Vaughn, Zachary Uselton

Johns hosted a Sept. 12 class for boys from Boy Scout Troop 210 of Pittsburg, Texas. The scouts are working on their First Aid and Swimming merit badges.

“It’s really important for Boy Scouts to know CPR,” said Scoutmaster Mike Johns. “Of course, it’s a big step toward earning important merit badges, but what’s most important is they’ll be better prepared to help someone if an incidence were to ever occur. CPR is something everyone should know.”

On Monday, September 14, Johns and local optometrist Dr. John Whorff, who is Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 180 in Winnsboro, hosted classes for seven of his Scouts. The boys, who are working on their First Aid merit badges, learned CPR techniques with help from Texas Health Winnsboro employees Laura Morrison and Liz Murphy.

“It’s really fun to work with such a good group of young men. They’re all very smart and were attentive throughout the classes,” Vicki Johns said. “And it’s rewarding because I know that they’ve advanced in the Boy Scout program and have learned how to help someone in an emergency.”

Anyone interested in learning CPR or any local groups who want classes hosted for their members can call Vicki Johns at (903) 342-3981.