News and Updates

Heart Month wrapped up yesterday and we hope you were inspired to take steps to improve your heart health (our favorite is eating dark chocolate!). We also want to mention a couple of heart highlights we had in February. 

AED Giveaway
We were thrilled to give away two AEDs to deserving agencies in Washoe County. Girls on the Run – Sierras inspires girls to be joyful, healthy and confident by creatively integrated running into their program. Occasionally, Girls on the Run has to hold their events and programs in locations that may not have an AED. Having a dedicated AED that travels with them from place to place, Girls on the Run – Sierras can ensure that in the event of a cardiac arrest, they are prepared. The second AED was awarded to Washoe County District Attorney – Investigations Division who provide investigative work on court cases and perform law enforcement functions related to the work of the District Attorney. With thousands of witness and victims and a staff of more than 200 attorneys, investigators, advocates and support staff, their location spans several floors of a building. Having an AED in the high-traffic location will ensure that should a cardiac arrest occur, their trained employees will have the tools needed for lifesaving intervention. The AEDs were given away through a partnership between REMSA and the Washoe County Health District.

Alma Marin, Public Education Coordinator Featured on “Someone to Know”
After mistakenly enrolling in a CPR instructor course (rather than a regular CPR certification course) 22 years ago, Alma Marin discovered her passion for educating the public about the importance of knowing how to perform high-quality CPR. Since Alma joined the organization, REMSA’s monthly CPR class offering has grown from two to more than 75! Learn more about Alma and her important and impressive contributions to educating our community about CPR. 

REMSA’s CPR Educator Spotlight 
While Alma’s contributions are impressive, she is the first to tell you that she doesn’t do it alone. Alma is happy to work with an outstanding group of CPR educators. We rounded up a couple of educator highlights here. 

Educator: Nancy Tyler
Started teaching with REMSA in 2006 and has taught 742 classes totaling 6,010 students
From 1995 through 2006, Nancy ran the CPR program at the Washoe County School District. Alma says of Nancy, “She has dedicated decades to teaching life saving skills to our community.”

Educator: Randi Hunewill
Started teaching with REMSA in 2010 and has taught 2010 classes totaling 1,724 students
Randi teaches REMSA’s KidCare babysitting classes and volunteers for a local fire department. Speaking about Randi, Alma says, “Not only is Randi dedicated to teaching life-saving skills to community members, but also being to being part of the emergency medical services team.”

Educator: Krys Peka
Started teaching with REMSA in August 2020 and since then has already taught 65 classes totaling 422 students.
Alma says of Krys, “She is willing to help any time she is needed – particularly with the behind-the-scenes, but very important work of class set-up.”