A recent report released by the American Heart Association found there is still a need to expand CPR training within Black communities.
Inside a church on Ten Broeck Street, Dr. Brenda Robinson is coaching Teona Jiles on how to perform chest compressions. Attendees begin counting as Jiles pushes on the dummy’s chest
The group is inside the church for cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. It’s put on by Robinson, the chief executive officer of the Black Nurses Coalition in Albany. She created began the training workshop 2022 because she says it is important for people within the Black community to see a Black doctor doing crucial outreach work through workshops like this one.
“We do have to acknowledge that oftentimes it is racism in health care, oftentimes culturally competent care is not given. So, it makes people hesitant. It makes them skeptical. It makes them distrust the healthcare system,” said Robinson. “So, people like me have to work double and triple time to let people know folks like me are here.”
A 2022 study by the American Heart Association found that Black and brown people are 41% less likely to receive bystander CPR than a white person in public. What’s more, another study released by AHA this year found there is still a high need to expand CPR education and training in Black communities.
Robinson said having this workshop in a church on Saturday, when a soup kitchen is operating nearby, was by design. As was gathering people who are familiar with each other. While some attendees like Jiles, who is the wife of a pastor at another church, made the trek in, many of the other attendees already congregate regularly at the church.
“It starts a conversation. And oftentimes you plant a seed, and you see what grows from that, and they see how important it is for me to come here,” said Robinson. “ [It] shows that this is important to me, it’s important to the community, and it’s important to them, and they are important to me and the community.”
For attendee Norma Chapman, completing the training with her fellow churchgoers was not only important, but also convenient.
“I felt really good about being here at this class, and had a little fun with it also,” said Chapman. “And I'm seeing a lot of different friends and people that I haven't seen in a long time.”
After the training, Jiles noted that having the adequate training makes her feel prepared to help others.
“I think it's important for us to know how to serve our community and aspects of CPR and other healthcare properties as well,” said Jiles.
