CPR saves lives; Lane County recognizes local heroes

Presenter: Lane County recognizes members of its mobile crisis team for going above and beyond the call of duty. Sept. 23, County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky:

Steve Mokrohisky (Lane County, administrator): We love to start our board meetings off with some positive news and recognizing our great employees for their outstanding service. You may recall a few weeks ago, we recognized an employee, a community health worker for stopping and helping out someone who was experiencing an overdose, a fentanyl overdose.

[00:00:27] And here today we have Jorge Rosales, who is a mental health associate with our mobile crisis team. Graham Smith, who’s also a mental health associate, was not able to be here today, We also have some folks in the back who are here with our mobile crisis team. You can raise your hands in support.

[00:00:45] This story is a story of two of our incredible employees who went above and beyond the call of duty—truly outside of their scope of responsibility—to help someone who was in need.

[00:00:58] On June 13 while en route to a mobile crisis call, Jorge Rosales and Graham Smith witnessed someone riding very fast on their bicycle down a hill and through an intersection. Graham saw the biker fall behind a parked car and when the biker did not get up, Jorge and Graham decided to pull the van over and check on them. It became clear right away that the person was severely injured.

[00:01:25] Jorge, who is a former firefighter, assessed the rider and began performing life-saving CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Jorge and Graham remained calm and focused, managing the scene and caring for the community member while they awaited EMS arrival.

[00:01:41] An incredible story. Any of us would hope that if we were in a similar situation, there was a Jorge and Graham waiting to care for us until EMS arrived.

[00:01:53] And just another example of our employees, who—this was not in the scope of their duty. They’re mobile crisis mental health specialists who are responding to people in need in the community, really incredible work. But this was something that was outside of that, and yet they stopped and cared for this individual. And it just, to me, is a reflection of the type of people we have working in public service here in Lane County.

[00:02:17] We talk about our three core behaviors that we value so much, a passion to serve, a drive to connect, and a focus on solutions. And they certainly demonstrated those, particularly the passion to serve, in this. So we want to thank Jorge and Graham who’s not able to be here. We have some certificates and I want to ask Director Eve Gray if she has some additional comments.

[00:02:36] Eve Gray (Lane County Health and Human Services, director): Thank you. Really a remarkable story and this was an individual who, of course, we are not permitted to find out what happens to someone after they’re transported to the hospital, but was alive at the point of transport, thanks to the life-saving measures that Jorge and Graham took.

And you know that again, it is absolutely another example of how much our staff care about our community and every person in it, whether it’s in their scope of duty or not. When there’s an opportunity to help, they step up and do.

[00:03:12] And I would be remiss as the director of Health and Human Services and a nurse, if I didn’t say, time is muscle. And for someone who requires CPR, having someone there who can provide high-quality compressions immediately at the point when the heart stops, is really the best hope of survival.

[00:03:35] That any kind of delay in waiting for EMS or assuming that someone else will help once they’re called, often leads to the end of someone’s life because time is muscle and the muscle dies, and the brain dies, of course.

[00:03:50] So this is so wonderful an opportunity, just like last time. We said, ‘Gosh, everybody should carry Narcan.’ Now it’s: ‘Everybody should take at least hands-only CPR so that we can all help each other in these times of need in our community.’ And thanks so much, Jorge, for stepping up to the plate when your community needed you.

[00:04:12] Steve Mokrohisky (Lane County, administrator): So Jorge, we talked a lot about you, and we don’t want to put you on the spot, but if you’d like to correct the record in any way or share any thoughts, we’d welcome that.

[00:04:20] Jorge Rosales: Eve is—Director Gray is absolutely right. Being in the fire service for five years prior to moving over to mental health, like, time is key. We all talk about the golden hour, just like the golden thread of mental health. There is a connection that we need to establish, early patient care, early care in general, like, to save lives.

[00:04:41] I would be saddened if we did not provide that care because in my time in the service we did run across a lot of people who needed CPR who, of course, were unfortunately in those positions that somebody waited, somebody didn’t call on time, somebody assumed.

[00:04:59] So this was something that I wanted to really give back to somebody who really needed it at that time. Early intervention is the best, will provide the best outcome, so we did it. (Applause).

[00:05:20] Presenter: Commissioner Pat Farr:

[00:05:21] Pat Farr (Lane County, commissioner): You know, Jorge, you give us a chance to recognize your work and Graham’s work. But you’ve also given us a lesson. You and Eve together are giving us a lesson: It’s everybody’s responsibility. You stepped up to the plate when you felt it to be your responsibility. You saved the muscle, you saved the brain, you saved the life, we can presume.

[00:05:38] And that really is a lesson for everybody sitting in this room, that if Eve, we all took hands-on-only CPR, that alone would be a measure of response. And if we all took the responsibility to step aside, to cut out what we’re doing to step in and be the one that saves the muscle, be the one that saves the life. I only hope that if that occurs that I have both the skill, the wherewithal, and the attention that you gave to it.

[00:06:05] One last thing, I’m going to put you on the spot one more time. As you came in, you high-fived with three folks in the back of the room. Who are they?

[00:06:11] Jorge Rosales: They’re also awesome members of our mobile crisis team. We have Sagamore (Blakely), one of our newest members, we have Jimmy (Hoag), and we have Leslie (Prieto).

[00:06:21] Pat Farr (Lane County, commissioner): Thanks for being here this morning, and thank you very much for the lesson and one that I hope we well take.

[00:06:27] Presenter: Lane County recognizes members of its mobile crisis team for responding quickly after seeing a member of the community in need.  Hands-only CPR saves lives. To sign up for a CPR class, visit the websites for the Red Cross or for Oregon CPR.