MAGGIE'S CORNER
A Life Saver
by Maggie Ostroff
A
few weeks ago, I was visiting with a friend and his family. About
an hour after I left, he went into cardiac arrest. His life
was saved by a woman who administered CPR and saw to it that 911 was
called.
It brought home to me in a big way how glad I am that I had taken
the CPR course offered by the Wellness Program––and took
a refresher course two years later.
I am urging every Guild member to do the same. We work under
very stressful conditions and we never know how this stress may affect
our bodies. And, let me add, my friend is a young man, so don’t
be complacent and think it won’t happen to you!
The Wellness Program has at least one CPR class every quarter. It also has pediatric CPR classes––for infants and children up through the age of eight––which all parents and grandparents should be taking. And it wouldn’t hurt to take the First Aid class either. All of these classes are free!
The Wellness Program is one part of the benefits offered by the Motion Picture Television Fund in Southern California. Those of us covered under the Motion Picture Health Plan should be receiving the Wellness Program’s schedule in the mail, but you can also check on the classes by visiting the organization’s website at www.mptvfund.org. Click on “Services” and scroll down to “Wellness.” You can also call them at 800-654-9355.
Since there is no Wellness Program on the East Coast, Eastern Region
members should contact the Guild office in New York for more information.
We are privileged to have these classes so available to us. I’m
forever grateful to the woman who saved my friend. I hope I
never have to use what I know, but I’m so glad I’ve taken
this class, and I will continue to keep updated. I hope you
all will do the same.