American Red Cross - Northwest Louisiana Chapter

American Red Cross

Health & Safety Services The American Red Cross has provided health and safety services to people for over 100 years as part of the organization's mission of emergency prevention and preparedness. The Red Cross is a recognized leader in the areas of first aid, CPR, aquatics and water safety, HIV/AIDS prevention education, mission-related caregiving and other health and safety education programs.

Instructors Needed!

Do you have the desire to help promote safety in your community? To teach people how to save a life? Is your business looking for someone on-staff to be able to train other employees in CPR, First Aid and Preventing Disease Transmission.

The Northwest Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross is currently seeking individuals interested in becoming CPR and First Aid instructors.

Community instructors often enjoy the extra income from teaching up to a few days a week.
Many businesses find it cost effective to have an employee or two that is a certified instructor, so that those employees can provide less expensive, in-house trainings for their entire staff. Potential instructors should be comfortable in a group setting and enjoy working with people.

The American Red Cross has been helping to save lives through our Health & Safety Training for over 100 years. More than 12 million people annually are trained across the nation to respond to emergencies such as choking, heart attack, severe burns, bleeding, poisoning and more. To work with that many people every year takes the efforts of dedicated and knowledgeable instructors. Red Cross instructs individuals on everything from Adult, Infant & Child CPR to First Aid, Preventing Disease Transmission, Workplace Safety, and using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

For more information on becoming an American Red Cross CPR/ First Aid Instructor, please call Elizabeth Farrell at (318) 865-9545 or e-mail us.

Health Fair 2008

Health Fair is an opportunity for people to keep an eye on their health, as a form of preventive medicine. The Health Fair involves a blood draw. The blood is spun down on site, then sent to the lab for analysis. The tests look at glucose levels, thyroid function, cholesterol breakdowns, lipid levels, liver function and more. The tests range in price from $35 for a comprehensive test to $45 for the comprehensive test plus a PSA (prostate cancer screen) for men. Results are available to participants in about a week.

The next Health Fair will be held Tuesday, October 28th at Broadmoor Baptist Church (4110 Youree Drive, Shreveport) - 7am-1pm (with Flu Shots). Call (318) 865-9545 for more information about the 2009 season.

During flu season, the American Red Cross offers flu and pneumonia shots at clinics across the area, usually beginning in October.
At these clinics, flu shots are FREE to Medicare Part B recipients or $15 for all others. You must bring your Medicare Part B card with you to receive the shot for free.

The Red Cross is currently setting up flu clinics for Fall 2008.
Please call (318) 865-9545 for more information about public sites
or if your organization or business would like to schedule one.

Currently Scheduled Public Flu/ Pnuemonia Vaccination Clinics:
(Please note: All Sites are subject to vaccine availability)
Tuesday, October 28th - Broadmoor Baptist Church (w/ Health Fair) (4110 Youree Drive, Shreveport) - 7am-1pm
more TBA (Call 318-865-9545 for more information)

Dates will be added as scheduled. Please call the Red Cross at (318) 865-9545 for more information.

Pneumonia shots will continue to be available year-round at the Health Fairs for FREE to Medicare Part B recipients or $25 for all others.

In addition, the American Red Cross can conduct flu and pneumonia vaccination clinics for individual businesses. If your company would like to have us visit your location(s) to administer flu and/or pneumonia shots, call Elizabeth Farrell at (318) 865-9545 for more information.

Future Health Fairs will be:

February 2009 - Summer Grove Baptist Church at South Park, 7am-1pm;
May 2009 - Bossier Civic Center, 7am-1pm;
July 2009 - Shreveport Riverview Hall (Clyde Fant), 7am-1pm;
September 2008 - Trinity United Methodist Chhurch, Ruston, 8am-Noon (with flu vaccinations);
October 28, 2008 - Braodmoor Baptist Church, 7am-1pm (with flu vaccinations);

CPR & First Aid

In 2003, approximately 350,000 people in the United States were treated for cardiac arrest (National Center for Health Statistics.) The number of cardiac emergencies Americans suffer each year underlines the importance of CPR training. Each year, the Red Cross trains more than two million people in adult, infant and child and professional rescuer CPR. New Red Cross courses in Automated External Defibrillation (AED) use reflect the most recent changes in emergency cardiac care. Check out our course schedule here.

The Red Cross has provided training in first aid continuously since 1909. Today, we offer a variety of first aid programs for different age groups and both general and professional audiences, including Standard First Aid, Community First Aid and Safety, Workplace First Aid, First Aid for Children Today (F.A.C.T.), Basic Aid Training (B.A.T.), First Aid -- Responding to Emergencies, and Emergency Response. All programs emphasize the importance of prevention as well as education.

Aquatics

Water Safety The American Red Cross has been a leader in aquatic education since 1914.
For young children, the Red Cross offers two classroom programs: Longfellow's Whale Tales and AQUACKtic Safety. These programs focus on ways to be safe in and around water, giving helpful, easy to remember hints for the kids to use.

The Red Cross also offers a Community Water Safety Training for the public at large. This class teaches safety and rescue tips for places ranging from home to community pools to lakes and rivers. It also includes special tips for boat safety. The class is offered throughout the year, but particularly during the summer. It provides helpful Water Safety Tips for all ages.

For years now, the Red Cross has been training Lifeguards and Water Safety Instructors (WSI) for local pools. For our Lifeguard/WSI course schedule, click here.
Do you know the difference between a Lifeguard and a WSI? A Lifeguard is trained in life-saving techniques and is prepared to use them at any moment. WSls are individuals who may or may not be a lifeguard, but have special training and hold a certification that enables them to conduct swimming lessons. Parents need to make sure that the person teaching their child is certified as a Water Safety Instructor, not simply a Lifeguard. They also need to make sure that a Lifeguard or other appropriate adult supervision is available any time their child is around water.

The Northwest Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross offers Lifeguard and WSI courses from March through June annually.

Other

The Red Cross also has other areas of special interest for the general public as well as for businesses and organizations. We offer courses from HIV/AIDS Prevention Education and Preventing Disease Transmission to Babysitting, Pet First Aid and Sport Safety Training. Our instructors will gladly travel to your place of business, community group, church or school to work with your organization and teach any class of your choosing. Just call (318) 865-9545 to inquire about programs of interest to you. For a schedule of our available courses, click here, or visit the links to the left.