Free First Aid, CPR Classes Begin December For Chippewa County

Free First Aid, CPR Classes Begin December For Chippewa County

Free First Aid and CPR/AED certification courses will be offered to folks in Chippewa County beginning this December thanks to a $26,875 Rural Collaboration Project grant from Compeer Financial.

The grant was awarded to the Community Foundation of Chippewa County to bring American Red Cross® First Aid & CPR/AED Provider certification courses to about 200 individuals. Those courses will be orchestrated by the Healthcare Workforce Training Institute.

According to a recent media release, “784 individuals from Chippewa County inquired about emergency training between July 2023-June 2024; indicating that the need and interest are real.”

The media release stated the project’s aim is to increase the number of trained first responders in the county in order to support the lack of healthcare facilities in rural areas. “Because of long travel distances to healthcare facilities from rural regions, increasing the number of certified first responders can improve the survival rate of patients.”

“Our ultimate desired outcome is to have healthier and safer communities throughout Chippewa County and to assist in maintaining our rural vitality,” Jill Heriges, Executive Director of the Community Foundation, said.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 6, two public classes were listed as part of the project: Dec. 6 from 9am-2pm and Jan. 28 from 11am-4pm, at the Healthcare Workforce Training Institute (2815 County Highway I, Chippewa Falls).

“We anticipate that participants will save lives. They will provide patient comfort and prevent situations from becoming worse,” Paula Gibson, director of the Training Institute, said.