Arcola’s Moose Mountain Health Care Corporation, operating as the Arcola Family Health Clinic, has added a Lucas Chest Compression System to its medical tools, providing a major boost for local emergency services.
The device delivers mechanical chest compressions for patients in cardiac arrest, ensuring consistent CPR without the fatigue that comes from manual compressions. “It delivers consistent CPR compressions to a patient in cardiac arrest,” explained Sheila Sim. “Instead of the manual chest compressions, this is consistent. It frees the hands of EMS personnel so they can provide other medications and care to the patient.”
Sim said the system is particularly valuable for small teams. “In EMS, there are only two people, one driving and one trying to keep the patient stable. This allows them to provide other measures while the Lucas machine does the compressions,” she said. The device also performs well over rough roads, ensuring compressions remain steady during transport.
The clinic fundraised to acquire the device for the hospital, and it has since been shared with the ambulance service. “They thought that if we could put another one into the ambulance service, it would be a big benefit to our whole area and for our patients,” Sim said. She noted the system is portable and easy for a single person to operate, speeding up response times.
Sim also highlighted the physical challenges of manual CPR, which many may not realize. “You have no clue on the depth of the fatigue to provide these consistent compressions to these patients,” she said. “One person can grab it, run with it, and put it on the patient. It just speeds up providing that service as well.”
She praised the community’s generosity in helping fund the system. “Super big thank you to everybody who donated and made it happen. There were local people, corporations, and companies; the response was amazing,” Sim said.
The Lucas Chest Compression System is expected to improve emergency care across the Arcola area, providing critical support to both clinic staff and EMS teams.