Northern Westchester Hospital Hosts Girl Scout Safety Event
On March 6, 2009, Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) hosted a Girl Scout safety event during which 94 local Brownies participated in five educational safety stations to learn about basic first aid. The first through third-grade girls are members of nine troops from Armonk, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge, and Pleasantville, and they will each earn a "Safety Sense Try-It" badge from the Girl Scouts for their participation.
The event, in its second year, was organized by NWH physical therapist Jeanne Morgante and the Hospital's Youth Outreach Coordinator Maria Simonetti. "Northern Westchester Hospital is consistently working to improve the health and well-being of the community through educational programs, and the Girl Scouts seek to develop courage, character, and confidence in young girls," said Morgante, a Girl Scout leader in Armonk. "Expanding the Brownies' first aid skills is one way to meet the missions of both of these wonderful organizations."
The Brownies participated in five stations including "Getting Help and Staying Calm" where they made an emergency phone book for themselves containing important contact information and "Cuts and Abrasions" where they learned how to properly clean a cut and apply direct pressure and a bandage.
The girls then participated in the "Conscious Obstructed Airway" station where they learned how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on a mannequin. These stations were run by students from Pace University's Lienhard School of Nursing, who are currently doing their clinical rotations at the Hospital. There was also a hand washing station where the scouts learned about the importance of infection control and a station where they had the opportunity to design get well cards for NWH patients.
"This event helps with confidence in handling emergency situations and teaches the girls to act in a way that could possibly save someone's life-even as young as they are," said Morgante, who hopes to hold the program at the Hospital once a year.
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