TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nick Rondinelli, CEO of Heart to Heart CPR, issued the following announcement:

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

If ventilations are not provided quickly or effectively during Respiratory Arrest, the brain begins to get damaged within 4-6 minutes.  The heart stops beating soon after.  The average 911 response time in the Toronto area is around 9 minutes. By the time EMS arrives, if there is no bystander care, the person has a lower survival rate. This scenario plays out time and time again in overdose cases.


Changing Training Courses from Lay Rescuer CPR to Basic Life Support (BLS) for Toronto Shelters is Critical to Saving Lives – Supported by New Guidelines

Other delays include not having the proper breathing barrier to provide Assisted Breathing. The rescuer may be extremely reluctant to give ventilations for fear of disease transmission or cross-contamination with dangerous drugs.  There are many reasons why someone would feel apprehensive about giving ventilations.  Even in the best circumstances where the rescuer has access to a traditional "pocket mask" with a one-way valve, they still may be reluctant to place their mouth on the mask and provide ventilations. This is especially true now, given COVID-19.  For this reason, I am strongly advocating for the use of the "Bag Valve-Mask" (BVM), also known as "Ambu-Bag” to be the primary breathing barrier device. This process is safer and will provide the person with higher levels of concentrated oxygen since the ventilations are not being supplied from the rescuer's exhaled ventilations.  The willingness to provide this critical ventilation increases with the use of a BVM.

Additionally, the "team approach" that Basic Life Support training provides gives the rescuers more confidence to handle the situation with others as opposed to doing so individually (which is another negative aspect to the current recommended "CPR level A or C" training).  A "team rescue" approach allows a team to manage a stressful situation while providing extra knowledge and skills to give the best care possible. For this reason, I am strongly advocating for the change in standards to at least have two (2) staff who holds a valid certification in Standard First Aid and Basic Life Support in Toronto Shelters.


Newest Canadian First Aid, Resuscitation Guidelines 2020 for Narcotic Poisoning Supports our Recommendations

This critical work (First Aid, Resuscitation Guidelines 2020) is supported by the International Liaison Committee of Resuscitation, International First Aid, Resuscitation, and Education Guidelines—coauthored by clinical and education specialists via the Global First Aid Reference Centre. New guidelines for narcotic poisoning are:


My Commitment to Toronto's Shelter Services

THE JOHNSTON-BRAIS INITIATIVE will provide free Canadian Red Cross training and certification in "Basic Life Support” (including naloxone administration and overdose prevention strategies) and donate 2 adult BVM's to all shelters located within Toronto (additionally 1 child BVM and 1 infant BVM for family shelters). 

I am very proud to dedicate and name this social entrepreneurship strategy after two of my closest and dearest friends. Garth Johnston, my best friend for over 18 years, died from HIV/AIDS-related causes in 2016. He experienced homelessness several times in his life and suffered from mental illness. Natalie Brais, a long-time friend for over 25 years, succumbed to drug addiction in March 2019 and overdosed in her apartment in downtown Toronto. The cause of her overdose death is still not known whether to be accidental or by suicide.


Pilot Programs

We hope to pilot this initiative in the following weeks. We are confident that this initiative will save lives and provide a platform for offering programs across the country.  It will provide a legacy that I know my friends would be proud of. One that will keep their memories alive in the form of a movement that will save countless lives. 

I am confident that my team and I can empower and prepare shelter staff and outreach workers to circumvent the current tragedy that we are faced with today – the unnecessary deaths resulting in drug overdoses, particularly opioid overdoses in our shelters and community.  We can do better, and we must do better. 

Their willingness to take action will change how we enact emergency response training within our shelters, harm reduction, and overdose prevention support services for our most vulnerable. Our goal is to provide the best training possible and create skill competency for all support staff and service providers. It starts with the immediate retraining of all the shelters in Toronto. Once all Toronto shelters have retrained staff in Basic Life Support, our initiative will focus on incorporating training for other staff and services for our most vulnerable. A new standard of care can be achieved for overdoses, one that empowers and develops highly skilled professional responders to provide excellence in emergency care so we can save lives.

The time to take action is now.  People's lives are at stake.  Will the City of Toronto and Shelter, Support & Housing Administration support this worthy cause?  We will pursue our quest and provide regular updates on our progress.

For any further inquiries, please contact:

Nick Rondinelli – CEO
Heart to Heart First Aid CPR Services Inc
nick@heart2heartcpr.com / www.heart2heartcpr.com
Recipient of the Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Award 2019