SALF Operations Expand into Central Pennsylvania

SALF, December 20, 2004

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Left to Right: John Schnaedter (representative for PA Senator Arlen Specter), Ed Stare, SALF national director of state development, State Rep. Will Gabig, R-199, Julia Cox, PA Division of the American Trauma Society executive director, Carol Staz, grant coordinator, and Buck Swisher (representative for State Rep. Todd Platts, R-19).

On December 15th, the American Trauma Society's Pennsylvania Division (ATSPA), Mechanicsburg, PA, was presented with an award for $25,000 by Save A Life Foundation's (SALF) National Director of State Development to establish a SALF Regional Office in Central Pennsylvania.  The grant will be matched by the Pennsylvania Office of Emergency Medical Service and the National American Trauma Society. 

Notable attendees included U.S. Senator Arlen Specter and State Representatives William Gabig and Todd Platt, along with various members of the ATSPA and local EMS personnel.  CBS and ABC affiliates, as well as a local newspaper covered the event. 

Julia Cox RN and Carol Forrester Staz RN will serve as SALF's ROD Facilitators, recruiting local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers as SALF Instructors to train Pennsylvania schoolchildren (K-12) in pre-EMS and educate them as to how they can help save another person's life if presented with an emergency situation.

"We are extremely excited to be welcomed into Pennsylvania by Governor Ed Rendell, the State Office of Emergency Medical Service, PA League of Cities and for having the American Trauma Society as a partner to bring these life supporting skills to the children and citizens of Pennsylvania." - Ed Stare, SALF National Director of State Development

This initiative is the first step toward fulfilling the late Dr. Peter Safar's dream of housing a SALF branch in his home state of Pennsylvania.  Since 1993, and until his death in 2003, Peter Safar M.D. (Father of CPR) served as the founding member of the Foundation's Medical Board with President/Founder Carol J. Spizzirri, RN, and Henry Heimlich M.D. (Heimlich maneuver), in an effort to train all citizens in Life Supporting First Aid (LSFA) skills