High school students can earn volunteer hours with the free MIKEY app
By Lucas on Nov 24, 2015
Whenever we hear about a builder going the extra mile to contribute to the communities in which they build, we feel they deserve some attention for it. Well, Heathwood Homes and The Heron Group of Companies have gone about 100 extra miles with the MIKEY Network project.
The overall goal of the MIKEY Network is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable performing CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (a MIKEY). This skill can save someone who is suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest (a heart attack).
If someone in a public area is experiencing a heart attack, you only have a few minutes to resuscitate them, and having a MIKEY nearby can increase the chances of survival by 75%.
Recently, as a part of the MIKEY Young at Heart program, a new app was developed in order to help educate teenagers on how to perform CPR and use a MIKEY. The bonus for the high school student is that they can learn this valuable skill while also earning volunteer hours, which they need a certain amount of to graduate.
Two grade 10 students from R.H. King Academy, Michelle O’Connor and Brianna Kinnaird, were the first to test the free app. Both already have a knowledge base of emergency medical procedures.
“You’d be surprised how many students are scrambling to earn hours,” Brianna explains. She has a Bronze Cross in lifesaving skills. “The MIKEY app is a great way to do it. Being able to keep track of my hours on the app is so much better than scribbling them onto pieces of paper that might get lost. Plus, it’s fun.”
“It’s so easy,” Michelle adds. “You just watch the videos and take the quizzes to earn hours. I knew about CPR from life-guarding, but the video clarified everything by explaining why you do each step.”
For teens and adults who have experience with performing CPR or using a MIKEY, the app acts as a good refresher, and if you have absolutely no knowledge about the subject, it is a very valuable resource.
“The app refreshed my memory about CPR, and as for using a MIKEY defibrillator, the machine talks you through the process,” says Brianna. “If the person doesn’t need a shock, nothing bad will happen. Knowing that is a big plus.”
1,890 MIKEYs have been placed in public areas, like schools, but they are not very useful if no one knows how to use them. Eventually, MIKEYs will be everywhere in buildings like fire extinguishers. Imagine there’s a fire but you don’t know how to use the extinguisher, now imagine someone’s having a heart attack, but you don’t know how to use the MIKEY. It’s a scary thought, and that’s why the app is so important!
“The app takes the mystery out of using a MIKEY,” Michelle adds. “It’s very clear on what to do when. This is learning with a real purpose. It’s awesome to think someday we might save someone’s life.”
Since Heathwood Homes and Heron Group launched the MIKEY Network in 2003, 28 lives have been saved with a MIKEY. The more people who know how to use the MIKEYs, the better, and the demand for them in public areas will certainly grow over the coming years.
If you are interested in learning more about the MIKEY Network, click here to donate and register for more information. The free app can be downloaded to your smart device from the Apple Store or Google Play.
