HeartTalk with Cindy Tait
HeartTalk is WorldPoint’s ALL NEW web video interview series where we ask important questions to leading experts in the CPR and healthcare industry to learn about the important topics that affect people today. Exciting, informative, and educational, HeartTalk will provide you with never-before-heard stories, real life industry experiences, and actionable takeaways. Watch HeartTalk to gain fresh and valuable insights into how we can all work together to improve patient outcomes!
WorldPoint was honored to sit down with Cindy Tait, president and clinical specialist at Center for Healthcare Education to discuss how she got started in the industry, bringing healthcare equity to every community, and an important idea to keep in mind for lay people performing CPR.
Watch the video or read the transcript below!
Nathan
Hello. Today, I'm with Cindy Tate, of Center for Healthcare Education, for another episode of Heart Talk. Cindy, thank you for being with us today.
Cindy
Oh, thank you, Nathan. It's an honor and a privilege to be here.
Nathan
Now, Cindy, you are really a force in the CPR industry. Your reach goes far beyond just Southern California. But I think a lot of people would like to know, how did you get started in the CPR industry?
Cindy
Well, to make a long story short, I actually started out in corporate health and fitness. And then every summer I would work as a camp counselor and then eventually a camp nurse. And I'm like, I need more training, I need more equipment. So I came back and got CPR trained and EMT trained and paramedic trained and got my teaching credential. And then I just found a passion for resuscitation education. So CPR and first aid.
Nathan
I think, too, like you said, your experience, it really showcases, right, not just training in one thing, but a whole other area. What are some of the goals and missions that you really want to accomplish with Center for Healthcare Education?
Cindy
We have trained—our best estimate is over 400,000 people. Yeah, in the last 40 years. And it is crazy, but it's not about the numbers. It's about the individual person and what, you know, what makes a difference. So I don't wake up in the morning and go, I need to train more people. It's like I need to train the people who are going to make a difference, who are the feet on the street and being a paramedic and a nurse.
Our response times are 4 minutes and could be 4 hours, you know, and so we really need those feet on the street, the first providers to make a difference. And then we can get there and add in the other links in the chain of survival.
Nathan
What I think you say to 400,000, you think like those people all then affect someone else's life, right? Because they can, you know, teach things that they've learned or they can put those things into effect. So when you're having your classes and you're having your recertification or when people are learning CPR for the first time, what's the thing that you always really love to incorporate in your classes that you feel like is going to make students remember, but also be able to put those things into practice with confidence?
Cindy
That that's a good question. And you just said one of my favorite words, confidence. So it's competence...So we have the curriculum from the American Heart Association, but we also want them to be competent. So we don't want them to be afraid. And, you know, you're here working with our instructors today, working with really getting more awareness of performing CPR on women, you know, because they haven't been confident of that.
So it's confidence and competence. And, you know, in the old days, things were really strict. We used to have to have these print outs and, you know, all this crazy stuff. And so we're still following all the rules and regulations. And the guidelines are so much more science-based. But we're having some fun now. It's okay. And you're here at an instructor class and they're in there, they're making friends and getting to know each other and they're laughing and they're just they're just having a good time. At the same time, they're learning what they need to know. So I think that's one of the elements.
Nathan
Definitely. And that's one of the things that I do love—always coming to see Center for Healthcare Education—is that you guys do you have such a diverse group of people? You know, like I said, from all backgrounds of life, whether it be not just a lay responder, but school districts, you know, hospital, EMS, fire. But you see it, you know, as a female business owner. What is the importance of health equity when it comes to CPR training?
Cindy
You know, it's interesting. We've been talking a lot about that. This workshop, we have the poorest county in California represented here, and I won't mention that county, but pretty much every person who needs CPR, they're farmworkers. They may not be legal residents of this country. Certainly the women that we've been talking about and it doesn't matter. We need to do CPR.
We should you know, we shouldn't we shouldn't discriminate or be afraid to start CPR on people. So equity—equity is huge and it also involves you know, it's...it's not a free course. We have to pay for the manikin. We have to pay for the instructors. We have to pay for the travel. We have to pay for the books and the cards.
And that's just pretty much anything that you teach of inequality. There's a there's a cost involved in the time involved. And so we don't want anyone to not be able to take a CPR class or become an instructor because of cost.
Nathan
Yeah, because of those shortcomings. So like you said, I mean, having that access is important for everyone to have access to CPR training. But also quality, Right? Quality CPR training. What would you say is one thing for lay responders—one of the most important things—to remember when conducting CPR?
Cindy
You we know so many people—I've known so many people in the industry, the father of EMS, Jim Page, the father of CPR, Dr. Max Harry Weil, Dr. Peter Safar, you know, the neural medicine and you know the kind of their bottom line was, we were like Navy SEALs, you know, we train as if we're going to perform.
But when you get out there, there's always some variable. There's like crowd control or something going on. So Dr. Max Harry Weil well used to say any CPR is better than no CPR, certainly do your best. So that's especially true for lay rescuers—for healthcare providers we’re held to a different standard. You know, and we look at the standards and you know, CCF has to be 80 to 81%.
And we we strive for those goals. But for our lay rescuers, any CPR is better than better than no CPR.
Nathan
So I think that's important, like you said, right. I mean, a lot of people are certified, but is the confidence there? And so for them to know, maybe I'm not doing it perfectly, but like you said, any CPR is better than no CPR.
Cindy
Well, and we do debriefs. We do debriefs with lay people. We do them with in-hospital, out-of-hospital rescuers, but especially the out-of-hospital. The question is, “Tell me how it went.” Here's always the answer. The first minute or two things were crazy. People were yelling, “Call 9-1-1 I need some help.” You know, is this a real thing or is it a practice thing?
But they always say 100% of the time. They say after a minute or two, we remembered what we learned in your class—at the Center's class— and we kind of got in that muscle memory mode. And what we learned in the book and the videos and things just kind of clicked.
Nathan
Yeah. Oh, you said holding yourself to a higher standard, right? Well, I feel like Center for Healthcare [Education], you definitely hold yourself to a high standard. What would you say, you know, makes Center for Healthcare Education unique?
Cindy
One of the things is we do this full time. This is my life's mission. We have full-time instructors, you know, an office. We work with the community. We're sitting here in a church with a drum set in the back. And so we get a lot of phone calls and it's like, “You're the first person who's answered our call.”
You know? So I think just that this is this is what we do. So I think I think that's part of the part of the reason. And then we don't spare any expense. So, you know, whether we need to buy a van or buy a new equipment or, you know, new female manikins or hire more amazing staff.
We do that because, because it all translates to quality education. And people pick up on that. And right now, the economy is not that great. So people have limited dollars. So when they look at who they're going to train with, they're like, we don't have the time to swing and miss and swing and miss and mess around. We want to go with quality. And the word on the street is, that's the Center, so...
Nathan
Yes. Well, and I feel like to there's such an energy when you come here, you know, you and your staff, you guys all create such a warm and welcoming environment.
Cindy
Thank you.
Nathan
The way you teach, you know, it's engaging. So for you, you know, when you wake up every day, what is your why? Why do you continue this mission?
Cindy
You know, it's partly my family. You know, I was there literally at 4:00 in the morning when my father had a heart attack. I just happened to be stopping by the house to drop off a pet before I was going to go up to central California. And my dad's standing there in the street—because he works early in the morning—and he goes, “I think I hurt my arm golfing.”
His left arm. He’s pale, cool and clammy. And I'm like, “Oh, no, no, no. Let's, you know—here's an aspirin.” and got him to the hospital and he was having a massive heart attack and he was going to go lay down. And had I not recognize that—I'd been there—I wouldn't have my dad here anymore. So part of it's family and then part of it is, you know, these instructors and the people, they'll call us. And, you know, and so there's hero awards available or they're like, you know, I got a phone call the other day and we made a difference. We have a lot of athletic trainers in here and nurses and police officers.
Nathan
And I think too, you know, especially like CPR is almost had a national event, almost worldwide spotlight right now, with Damar Hamlin and whatnot. So I think people do see the need for it, right? I think everyone has a loved one of something that can happen at any time. So having those skills and having that knowledge in the back of your mind of what to do—that saved your dad's life.
Cindy
Absolutely. And Damar everybody's saying his help was there in 10 seconds. He had one person CPR, two person CPR, an AED, and then advanced life support. So, you know, an average response time in most cities like this is like four and a half minutes. That's that's a long time. You know, Damar may not have had 4 minutes and 32 seconds. So we're here we'll respond as EMS providers, but it's got to be the feet on the street that just get involved and make a difference.
Nathan
And that's what you're training people for.
Cindy
Yes
Nathan
What do you see for the future for Center for Healthcare Education? What’s something you’re maybe looking to, you know, conquer maybe in the next few years?
Cindy
We'd like to see, certainly, more training. You know, like, like before you graduate high school, you have to have a CPR [class] and a fun CPR class now, like, I've got to have it or, you know, you get to go matriculate to college, but good CPR class. I want to see more AEDs out there.
So they're fairly affordable, but—just more access to more grant moneys. I think Hamlin's foundation may be putting in some AEDs and certainly funding some AED trainers. I know his focus is kids—junior high school and high school—but, you know, they need to know where it is, how to use it and not be afraid to use it.
Nathan
So what I think to having insight from leaders like you in the industry is important because you're here, you know, in the trenches every day, really creating awareness. So having your insight as to what needs to be improved upon. I know we can all learn from that. So I want to thank you so much for being with us today on HeartTalk.
I really appreciate your time and hopefully we'll talk again soon.
Cindy
Absolutely. Well, thank you for everything that you do.
Nathan
Thank you Cindy.
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