OPM Creates Emergency Contact Database After Employee is Revived
Two Federal Occupational Health nurses, Teresa McCarthy, RN and Karen Tate, RN, received an in-person thank you recently from Linda Springer, who is director of the Office of Personnel Management (the HR agency for 1.8 million federal civilian employees). Springer went to Philadelphia with Dr. Mark Delowery, FOH Health and Clinical Services director, and Karen Kuroda, RN, FOH Clinical Operations manager, to thank the two in person for saving the life of one of her employees.
McCarthy and Tate were working in their health unit at the William Green Federal Building in Philadelphia when an OPM employee, who was there on a training assignment from Washington, D.C., collapsed in a conference room. They arrived within minutes, began CPR, and used an AED to revive the individual. "They skillfully and professionally managed the care of the unresponsive employee while also calming the panicked and distressed witnesses to the event," FOH reported.
During her visit, Springer touted the benefits of on-site health care for federal employees and said access to AEDs and trained professionals can save lives. She also said as a direct result of this event, OPM has implemented an emergency contact database so employees' family members can be notified quickly in the event of a medical emergency. FOH (
www.foh.dhhs.gov) is part of the U.S. Public Health Service and is within the Department of Health and Human Services' Program Support Center. Its mission is to improve the health and safety of the federal workforce.