One of the most remote areas in the country has demonstrated its fight for survival by achieving a lifesaving award from the Irish Heart Foundation. A man’s life has already been saved since the community started the initiative which involves training local people to respond to cardiac emergencies in the area. The achievements of the Muintir á Chorrain Currane Belfarsad Community Defibrillator Group in Achill will be celebrated after they received the prestigious Irish Heart Foundation Heartsafe award.
The lifesaving Achill group decided to take action after two members of the community lost their lives from heart attack in recent years. Group organiser Eileen McNamara explained how she was personally inspired when she witnessed a man collapsing on the pier. She said: “It was October and the pier was so quiet there was nobody around, the man was bringing his boat in for the winter when he just dropped. One person was there to try CPR but we are a very remote area here in Achill and it’s at least 30 minutes to the hospital. Sadly the man passed away. When another man in the village died from a heart attack shortly after, the community decided we needed to do something.”
The tiny population of just 350 people trained community members in lifesaving CPR and secured three defibrillators for the local area. Since the initiative started, one life has already been saved. The alarm was raised when a resident passed out in his kitchen and within moments a group of trained cardiac responders from the village was on the scene. Eileen McNamara explained: “Our cardiac responders are also linked in with the local GPs, so both got to the patient at the same time and revived him with the defibrillator. It showed that the system works and a life was saved.”
By achieving the Heartsafe award standard, the Achill group has strengthened the Chain of Survival in responding to cardiac emergencies in their community. Achill is just the second group to achieve the Heartsafe award in their county and the Irish Heart Foundation hopes their dedication will encourage more groups in Mayo to follow.
