Gary Katcher and Libertas Funding Commit to CPR Training

Gary Katcher, Executive Chairman of Libertas Funding, LLC, a Greenwich, Connecticut based company, announced its commitment to arrange free, ongoing CPR training for all employees.

Knowledge of CPR is critical to saving lives. According to OSHA, approximately 10,000 cardiac arrests occur in the workplace every year, and delays in treatment can be deadly. Waiting for emergency response teams to arrive results in a mere 5-7% survival rate for those experiencing a cardiac arrest, while receiving immediate defibrillation increases the chances of survival within one year to 60%, as reported by OSHA.

Libertas’ commitment to provide CPR training began with the arrival of David Waill, a Senior Managing Director with over twenty years of experience as an active first responder and Emergency Medical Technician, as well as a recipient of the Westchester County Regional EMS Council Lifesaving Award. Waill proposed that Libertas Funding, LLC purchase an automated external defibrillator (“AED”) and pay for all interested employees to receive CPR training, which Gary Katcher strongly supported. While public access AEDs come with instructions for any user, training can prove beneficial in becoming adept in use of the equipment.

Gary Katcher and Waill worked with Greenwich EMS (local 911 responders) to set up a training session, which was attended by more than 15 employees. Jeff Hudson, Senior Managing Director of Institutional Sales, described it as a “wonderful team building experience” and a “valuable skill to have, both inside and outside of the workplace.” He expressed his sincere gratitude to Greenwich EMS for all of their efforts to train the Greenwich community on how to properly administer CPR.

During the training, Hudson and his colleagues learned what is referred to as the “Chain of Survival,” a sequence of events that dramatically improve one’s chances for successful resuscitation. Key factors include (i) identifying that a cardiac event is happening, (ii) calling 911, and (iii) immediately starting early chest compressions and defibrillation. Timing can mean the difference between life and death; the chances of surviving a cardiac event after the brain is deprived of oxygen for five minutes drops to 50/50 and if the brain is deprived of oxygen for ten minutes, the chances for survival decrease precipitously.

Waill commented that “AEDs are one of the greatest technological life-saving advances for cardiac arrest in the field developed in the past fifty years. They can work miracles, but only if used quickly.”

After learning how one piece of simple equipment can save lives, Gary Katcher has become an enthusiastic supporter of including AEDs as a standard fixture in offices. He commented that “Libertas Funding believes that its greatest asset is our employees, and we want to be sure that we are prepared to care for each other in our most vulnerable moments. I am proud that so many of our employees stepped up to enroll in this training and I look forward to ensuring that our employees have additional opportunities to learn this essential and life-saving skill.”

Read the full article at OCNJ Daily.