Community Outreach
Community AED/CPR Training
At the Emergency Resuscitation Center, it is our goal to educate the community about cardiac arrest and how to recognize and react to a life threatening emergency. With training, lay people can learn how to begin the chain of survival.
We offer courses designed to provide instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in an effort to improve survival rates of victims of cardiac arrest. We also provide Public Access Defibrillation Programs where we help sites purchase, set up, and train staff to use AEDs.
If you have additional questions or are interested in learning how to set-up an ERC training session, please contact Ellen Demertsidis at
773-427-9384 or EllenMD3@aol.com.
Courses Offered:
Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider Course
Upcoming Courses
Location: University of Chicago Friend Center
800 E. 55th Street
Time: 10:00 - 3:30
Cost: $60.00 per person (BLS Healthcare Provider Book Included)
Dates: 9/8/08 (Room FB-216) and 9/18/08 (Room FB-319)
To register for this course contact Ellen Demertsidis at ellenmd3@aol.com or 773-427-9384. Please send or leave your name, phone number, and class date you wish to attend.
Classes will be canceled if there are less than 6 people registered per session.
Course Length: 4 - 5.5 hours
Course Description: The Healthcare Provider course is designed to teach the skills of CPR for victims of all ages including ventilation with a barrier device, a bag mask device and oxygen, use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) and relief of foreign-body airway obstruction (FBOA). It is intended for participants who provide healthcare to patients in a wide variety of settings, such as physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, respirator therapists, physical and occupational therapists, nursing students in training, aides, medical or nursing assistants, and other health personnel.
Registration includes Basic Life Support (BLS) manual and two year completion card.
Heartsaver Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Course
Course Length: 3 – 4 hours
Course Description: The Heartsaver Automated External Defibrillator (AED) course teaches the basic techniques of adult CPR and the use of an AED. Students also learn use of barrier devices in CPR and how to help a person who is choking. This course teaches how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest, and foreign body airway obstruction. Heartsaver AED is geared towards lay rescuers such as firefighters, police, airline personnel, security guards, employees in the workplace, family members of patients at high risk for sudden death, other lay rescuers, and those who may have a need to respond to a cardiac emergency.
Child and infant CPR/AED can be added if facility has purchased a pediatric capable AED.
Registration includes AED manual and two year course completion card.
Heartsaver CPR Course
Course Length: 4 hours
Course Description: The Heartsaver CPR course teaches lay rescuers how to recognize and treat life threatening emergencies, including cardiac arrest and choking for adult, child, and infant victims. Students also learn to recognize the warning signs of heart attack and stroke in adults and breathing difficulties in children. The program can be divided to cover all components or required sections.
Registration includes Heartsaver CPR manual and two year course completion card.
CPR in the Schools Course
Course Length: 3.5 hours
Course Description: The Heartsaver CPR in the Schools course is designed to teach both adult and pediatric lay rescuer CPR to middle or high school students. The course presents information about the AHA adult and pediatric Chain of Survival, signs of heart attack, cardiac arrest, stroke, and choking in adults. The course also covers signs of choking in infants and children, prevention of sudden death syndrome, and prevention of most common fatal injuries in infants and children. The program can be divided to cover all components or required sections.
Registration includes CPR in Schools textbooks for students and two year course completion card.
CPR for Family and Friends Course
Course Length: 3.5 hours
Course Description: The Heartsaver CPR for Family and Friends course teaches rescuers skills in CPR and relief of foreign body airway obstruction. It presents information about the AHA Chain of Survival and signs of heart attack, cardiac arrest, stroke, and choking in adults. The course also teaches the AHA Pediatric Chain of Survival, infant and child choking, and prevention of injury. The program can be divided to cover all components or required sections.
Registration includes Heartsaver Family and Friends textbook for students and participation card.
Bloodborne Pathogen Training Course
Course Length: 1.5 hours
Course Description: This program includes information that will help students understand what bloodborne pathogens are and how risks of exposure can be reduced for themselves and others. The program assists in satisfying the training requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OHSA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CGR19010.1030). Courses are designed along with your facility’s standard operation procedure.
Bloodborne Pathogens training should be offered to employees who are in the Healthcare field such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, custodial workers, or any position that an employee may come in contact with infectious fluids.
National recognized student completion card is given to all who participate in the course.
About the Course Instructor, Ellen Demertsidis
Ellen Demertsidis, EMT-B, has ten years of experience as an American Heart Association (AHA) instructional educator and has been an employee of the University for the past seven years as a coordinator for community awareness and training.
Prior to her joining the University of Chicago, Ellen was an employee of the City of Chicago as a 911 dispatcher at O’Hare International Airport and took part in the implementation of Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) with in the Chicago Airport Systems.
The University of Chicago offers the all American Heart Association (AHA) courses, BlS for Healthcare providers, Heartsaver First Aid, Heartsaver CPR, Heartsaver AED, CPR for Family and Friends, and CPR in the Schools.
If you would like further information on these courses or other courses that are available, please contact Ellen Demertsidis, EMT-B at 773-427-9384, or ellenmd3@aol.com.