“As a former athlete, it was instilled in me long ago that practice makes perfect,” said Pinder. “Orange County Public Schools require that all schools participate in extensive safety sessions. These trainings are designed to provide schools with the necessary practice and collaboration in order to be prepared for emergencies.”
University High School’s Practical Nursing Instructor Danielle Jones and Orange Technical College’s Practical Nursing Instructors Karen O’Brien and Nancy Welch, who is OCPS’ Teacher of the Year, arrived quickly in the lobby, assessed Cortes’ medical situation and took over his emergency care.
Welch performed CPR while Jones and O’Brien both used the automated external defibrillator on Cortes to restart his heart before the paramedics arrived and transported him to Orlando Health.
“The immediate actions of Nelson performing chest compressions and the three RNs making assessments and decisions collectively and responding as a team was a major factor in Ramon’s survival,” said Welch. “I will share this experience with my OTC nursing students and let them know that when you work together, our patients will experience a better outcome.”
Thanks to Pinder and the nurses’ life-saving efforts, Cortes was discharged from the hospital within weeks of the July 20 incident and has been recovering from his heart attack at home.
“I appreciate everyone at Orange Technical College and the paramedics and hospital staff for saving my life,” said Cortes.
According to the American Heart Association, 10,000 cardiac arrests occur annually in the workplace.
The nonprofit organization also states that nine out of 10 cardiac-arrest victims who receive a shock from an automated external defibrillator in the first minute survive.
Because of the lifesaving potential of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training, OCPS’ Office of Safety will be rolling out American Heart Association CPR and AED classes to district staff soon, as well as exploring ways to offer CPR and AED awareness training to School Emergency Response Teams (SERT) at each of our schools.
“I’m extremely grateful that Nelson Pinder, Nancy Welch, Karen O’Brien and Danielle Jones were able to respond quickly and save Ramon’s life,” said Melanie Stefanowicz, OCPS’ associate superintendent of Career and Technical Education. “I appreciate their strength, courage and professionalism, as they truly believe in service above self.”
During an Orange County School Board meeting in August, Pinder, Welch, O’Brien and Jones were recognized for their heroism. Cortes was in attendance and happy to thank three of his lifesavers in person.
“It was my first day at work and I’m forever bonded with Nancy, Karen, Nelson and Ramon,” said Jones. “It was remarkable to see someone who lived after performing life-saving skills. I’m so happy that we saved Ramon’s life.”
“I feel it’s important for everyone to take a CPR and first-aid class, so you can be prepared to assist if an emergency situation arises because you could be saving the life of a stranger, co-worker, family member or friend,” said O’Brien.
For more information about OCPS CPR and AED training, please email the
[email protected].