UMATILLA, Ore.-When a day at the park turned into a life-or-death situation, a local nurse took action, saving a man’s life.
Caitlin Jepsen, RN-PACU, has been with Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) in Hermiston for 10 years and recently put her CPR training to use while on a family outing.
On October 4, Jepsen and her family decided to enjoy an “unplugged” picnic in a park in Umatilla, meaning they intentionally left their cell phones at home.
From picnic to panic
Jepsen, her husband and three daughters, ages 8, 5, and 3, were unpacking their food when she saw a look of concern on her husband’s face.
When Jepsen turned around, she saw a man take another man by the collar and begin shaking and slapping him.
Jepsen and her family quickly packed up their picnic and returned to their car when they heard the man who was shaking the other man yell, “call 911, he’s not breathing.”
“We didn’t have our phones, but I thought, I think I have to go help,” said Jepsen, who got her daughters in the car and told her husband to flag down the first person he came across and call 911.
When Jepsen returned to the unconscious man in the park, he was white, his lips were blue, his eyes were open, and a fly was sitting on one of his eyes.
“I thought that he’s probably dead,” said Jepsen, who is CPR certified and has taken several American Heart Association (AHA) CPR classes throughout her health care career.
By talking to the person who was trying to revive the unconscious man, Jepsen learned that the man had been smoking fentanyl, but that the scene was safe from the risk of needles or any other dangers.
“I was sort of panicking, so I verbally walked through the situation,” said Jepsen. “The scene was safe, so I checked his breathing and his pulse, then started CPR.”
After initiating CPR, Jepsen determined that the man, who was not breathing, needed respirations.
Since the man had been smoking fentanyl, Jepsen was unable to perform mouth-to-mouth respirations but remembered that she had a CPR face shield on her keychain, which was with her family back in the car.
Jepsen had the other man take over CPR as she went to get her disposable face shield.
Although the man didn’t know CPR, Jepsen instructed him to continue chest compressions to the beat of the song “Staying Alive” and ran to her car.
On her way back to the car, Jepsen saw a man on a motorcycle stop and give her husband his phone to call 911.
When she grabbed her keyring, Jepsen noticed that the CPR face shield had fallen off. Her 8-year-old daughter helped look for it in the car as Jepsen looked in the first aid kit.
After locating the mask with the help of her daughter, Jepsen returned to the man in the park and continued CPR, detecting a faint pulse.
When the motorcyclist returned with Narcan, Jepsen administered it before Umatilla Police arrived at the scene.
After three more doses of Narcan, the man did survive but refused further medical treatment.
“I think the thing I felt most was relief,” Jepsen said, of how it felt to save a life. “I kept praying the whole time that he wouldn’t be dead, that he would survive. So, when he woke up, I just praised God and was so thankful.”
A true health care hero
After paramedics took over, Jepsen returned to her family.
Her oldest daughter was proud of being able to help find the CPR face shield, while her middle daughter was a little distraught, and her youngest seemed unbothered and just wanted a snack.
“It was interesting to see the different responses of each of my daughters to the situation,” said Jepsen.
The incident was only the second time Jepsen performed CPR outside of a training setting and was the first time the patient survived.
After the incident, Jepsen experienced another first, as she was transported in the back of a police car to the Umatilla PD station to wash her hands and provide a statement.
Jepsen is quick to credit the UPD officers who responded to the park with helping save the man’s life.
“They were amazing,” Jepsen said of the UPD, especially the Sergeant who gave her daughters stuffed animals and spent time doing a good job explaining the situation in a way children could understand.
Like a true hero, Jepsen wants the actions of others, especially the motorcyclist who went home and got Narcan before returning to the park, to be recognized.
“He’s probably more of a hero than me,” said Jepsen. “Without the Narcan, the man would not have survived.”
The importance of being prepared
Jepsen credits AHA CPR classes for her ability to act, despite the gravity of the situation.
“All the AHA CPR classes I’ve taken came back to me, it was just raw muscle memory,” said Jepsen, who recommends everybody take an in-person AHA CPR class if they have the opportunity. “It’s a great skill to have, even though hopefully you never have to use it.”
Jepsen also encourages everybody to carry both CPR face shields and Narcan with them.
Disposable CPR face shields can be purchased online and can be carried on keychains, in pockets, or put in first aid kits.
Narcan, which can reverse an opioid overdose and restore breathing, is available for free from local health departments, including Umatilla County Public Health.
GSHCS is hosting a free Narcan training, where attendees will learn how to properly and effectively use Narcan, on October 29 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Spots in the training may be reserved online, or by calling 541.667.3509.
GSHCS also periodically hosts Heart Code Heartsaver Classes that include CPR/AED/First Aid training. More information on upcoming classes and events at Good Shepherd is available online.
