Generous donation raised by grateful patient

Last summer, the life of John Belthuis of Waterloo was saved by Veterans Memorial Hospital’s Community Cardiac Arrest Specialty Team (CCAST) after he suddenly collapsed due to cardiac arrest while visiting the Harley-Davidson dealership in Waukon. In gratitude, Belthuis, with the help of friends and family, coordinated a motorcycle ride in Waterloo to raise funds for the Veterans Memorial Hospital ambulance service. Pictured in middle is Belthuis presenting a check for the over $4,000 raised at the June 7th event, to Veterans Memorial Hospital ER staff members Jeff Mitchell, EMT-P, EMS Coordinator, and Diane Butikofer, RN, ER Supervisor.
Just two years ago, the Veterans Memorial Hospital EMS Department implemented the new Community Cardiac Arrest Specialty Team (CCAST) program which responds to the scene of a cardiac arrest.   Once the EMS and CCAST team arrives, the cardiac arrest is handled slightly different than in the past. Instead of quickly loading the patient and transporting to an Emergency Department, the team provides all initial care on scene. Each CCAST team member has a designated task which includes compressions, managing the airway, providing electrical therapy as needed and administering medication as directed.  This program has been utilized in the past two years and currently has a good success rate.