Martin's Point Health Care to Offer 'Heart Saver' CPR Course

PORTLAND, Maine - Martin's Point Health Care will offer two "Heart Saver" CPR courses in September. The first course is for the general public and will be held on two consecutive Tuesdays, Sept. 12 and 19, from 6 to 8 p.m., and will cost $20. The second will be a recertification course for healthcare professionals, and will be held Tuesday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m., and the fee for this course is $10. Both courses will be taught at the Martin's Point Health Education Center, located at 331 Veranda St., Portland, by certified CPR instructor Kathy Ross.

The Heart Saver Course was designed by the American Heart Association, and will cover adult, child and infant airway obstruction and CPR training. To register or receive more information, call 828-2497 or (800) 260-6681.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in adults," said Ross. "But CPR doubles a person's chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest, and anyone can acquire these skills."

Martin's Point Health Care's Health Education Center in Portland offers a full range of programs open to the public, including health, nutrition, safety and community wellness classes. Established in 1981, Martin's Point is now Maine's largest health care practice, employing 290 healthcare professionals who serve more than 44,000 patients at clinics in Portland, Windham, Brunswick and Newington, N.H. in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, radiology, cardiology, mammography and other fields.

Martin's Point has attracted widespread attention for its high-tech initiatives, including a robot to assist in dispensing prescriptions, and Patients Personal Points, a free, Internet-based service that allows patients to use their computers to communicate by a secure server with their doctors to schedule appointments, ask advice, and obtain prescription refills. Patients Personal Points recently won a national technology award from the Healthcare Innovations in Technology Systems (HITS) "Partnership in Technology" national awards programs.

Headquartered in Portland at 331 Veranda St., Martin's Point accepts all major health plans and insurance, including but not limited to HealthSource, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Harvard Community Health Plan, Maine Partners, Champus, Tricare, Aetna, Cigna and NYLCare Plans.

For more information about Martin's Point Health Care, call the Martin's Point Health Education Center at 828-2497, or visit the Martin's Point website at www.martinspoint.org.

# # #