HJBR-2020-jul-aug

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  JUL / AUG 2020 29 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com Services, Inc., Safety Management System, LLC, and Southwest LS AHAC. LDH’s Office of Public Health will deploy part- ners to communities and regions where needs are identified. Additionally, under the Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Louisiana Medicaid will cover testing for coronavirus for Louisiana residents without health insurance. Coverage includes COVID-19 testing and testing-related services, like doctor’s office visits, when the test is performed. This coverage is available to people without insurance who are Louisiana residents until the end of the federal public health emergency. You must also be a U.S. citizen or meet immigration status requirements to qualify. Testing must be completed by a Medicaid provider. Knowing Hands-Only CPR is EvenMore Relevant Throughout a Pandemic As most Americans continue to spend more of their time at home during the COVID-19 pan- demic, the odds of cardiac arrests in a home set- ting are likely to increase, according to the Amer- ican Heart Association. “As more people get out and begin to enjoy the summer, the American Heart Association’s efforts to raise awareness and train people in hands-only CPR takes on added importance,” said Aaron Lambert, president of Healthy Blue and a board member of the local chapter of the American Heart Association. “We share their goal of promoting health and wellness and empow- ering our communities to learn this life-saving technique.” Hands-only CPR involves two simple steps and anyone can learn it from a 90-second video avail- able at heart.org/handsonlycpr. They are: Step 1: If a teen or adult in your home suddenly collapses, call 911 immediately. Step 2: Place one hand on top of the other as shown in the video and push hard and fast on the victim’s chest. People feel more confident performing hands- only CPR and are more likely to remember the correct rate when trained to the beat of a familiar song. Rescuers should push on the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute and the American Heart Association advises following the beat of any of several songs, including “Stayin’ Alive,” by the Bee Gees, “Crazy in Love,” by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, “Hips Don’t Lie,” by Shakira,” or “Walk the Line,” by Johnny Cash. Take advantage of shelter-in-place time and brush up on your hands-only CPR skills; they might save someone you love. Visit heart.org/ handsonlycpr to watch and share the hands-only CPR instructional video. n