WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Saturday afternoon a free heart screening clinic took place in Luzerne County. The clinic is in memory of a physician assistant student from King’s College who died suddenly from cardiac arrest.
The day event also offered some basic training on what to do if someone is suffering from a heart attack.
King’s College in Wilkes-Barre hosted a free heart screening clinic for young people. Volunteers also taught attendees how to do CPR, use an AED, and warn them of the harmful effects caffeine can have on the heart.
14-year-old twin brothers Ethan and Griffin Osmanski were among those who came.
“We learned about the different effects of nutrition on your heart and like caffeine. We had the EKG so we saw our hearts were beating, how many beats per minute,” Ethan.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to get to know everything just in case there’s an emergency,” added Griffin.
The boys both play football and wrestle. That’s why they believe it’s important to know the basics.
“In case anyone was to go down on the field, they’re not breathing then we know at least the first thing that we need to do when someone has fallen, not breathing, or unresponsive so we can try and help them before an ambulance would get to the situation,” explained Ethan.
This is the third year this event is taking place. It is hosted by the Peyton Walker Foundation and Geisinger Health System. Walker was a student at King’s College studying to be a physician assistant when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in 2015 in her dorm and passed away.
“We’re giving skills to these kids and parents today that will hopefully help increase the survivability of sudden cardiac arrest if we know we teach people hopefully they’ll respond when an emergency happens to them,” said Julie Walker the executive director Peyton Walker Foundation.
Julie Walker, Peyton’s mom, started this foundation in hopes of helping save the lives of others by getting them screened and catching any heart-related abnormalities before it’s too late.
“Every year that we’ve done this, we’ve always there’s been about three to five people that we’ve found difficulties with their heart and we’ve been able to have them referred to their specific cardiologist to make sure they’re well cared for as far as her cardiac health,” says Diana Easton in the Physician Assistant Program.
All the health science students at King’s got to work alongside Geisinger health care workers to not only put what they are learning to use but to also give back to the community.
Nearly 200 people showed up for Saturday’s heart screening clinic.
