Thumbs up, thumbs down: Even preschoolers are learning CPR

Thumbs up to Kaiser Permanente Fresno physician Jesus Rodriguez, for teaching the leadership class at Central High School how to perform hands-only cardio-pulmonary resuscitation or CPR. The red-letter part of this is that the students will take home a training kit so they can teach their families and friends how to perform CPR, multiplying the life-saving possibilities.

Hands-on CPR means using 100 chest compressions every minute. Nearly 300,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest each year in the United States. Statistics show if more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved. Knowing how to administer immediate CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival, said Shannon MacAdam, executive director of the AHA’s Central Valley Division.

You don’t have to be in high school to learn CPR. What should you do if you see someone collapse? This week, students in preschool through first grade at the Valley Crescent School in Clovis learned to call 911, shout and ask if the person is OK, and if not find an automated external defibrillator (AED) and perform chest compressions to the tune of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive.” Registered nurse Kathryn Pish was their teacher, encouraging parents and teachers to reinforce the lessons as the child gets older and stronger.

Thumbs down to Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare; David Valadao, R-Hanford; and Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, for joining only Republicans in the House selling out their constituents’ internet history. Like we need more anguish from these dudes. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and Tom McClintock, R-Roseville, voted to retain privacy protections in the roll call vote for Senate Joint Resolution 34.

The Resolution repeals regulations put in place under former President Barack Obama in 2016 that said internet service providers had to ask for consumers’ permission before selling their personal information to third parties. The Resolution becomes law once it’s signed by President Donald Trump.

Customers’ “sensitive private information” includes browsing histories, precise geo-locations and even financial and medical data, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

The Sacramento Bee reports that voters are fighting back in creative ways. Adam McElhaney, a self-described privacy activist and net neutrality advocate from Chattanooga, Tennessee, established a Go Fund Me page to raise money to buy the internet histories of members of Congress. Once he has them, he says he plans to publish them online so anyone can search through them. He raised more than $160,000 within four days.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who sponsored the Resolution in the House, will be among those whose histories will be public first. No surprise that she lists Verizon, Comcast and AT&T among her top political donors, according to fundraising records from the Center for Responsive Politcs.

Max Temkin, co-creator of the popular card game Cards Against Humanity, recommends computer users get off their computers and flip out on Congress. He advises against donating to Go Fund Me accounts. Instead he suggests angry constituents call their representatives and let them feel the disapproval in a personal way. A few hundred phone calls, and he predicts they’ll react

Thumbs up to Every Neighbhorhood Partnership for its annual Serve Fresno week of community service. Among the nonprofits already getting help is Evangel Home, which got a basement makeover, including new storage shelving. The week ends with a free Fresno CityFest festival Saturday and Sunday at Save Mart Center. The partnership aims to rally churches from Fresno and surrounding areas to serve the city. It’s not too late to help out: Service opportunities are listed online at servefresno.org and continue throughout the year. The group expects volunteers to put in 75,000 hours of service throughout March.

Thumbs up to the Leon S. Peters Foundation for awarding $30,000 to support three vital programs at Break the Barriers: Veterans, underserved children in a mentoring program, and Buddy Kids, where special education and general education students learn together.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Thumbs up, thumbs down: Even preschoolers are learning CPR."