Gov. Larry Hogan’s declaration of a state of emergency allowed Maryland National Guard members to help medical staff combat COVID-19. One month after the declaration took effect, two soldiers helped save a patient’s life.
Soldiers Patrick Sheil and Paul Hofe were working in the Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center when Sheil noticed a patient going into cardiac arrest.
“I sent a text message to Hofe and communicated the seriousness of the situation to come down to the room and provide assistance,” Sheil said. “He skipped the elevator, ran straight to the stairwell, and triple-timed down here.”
According to a release, Sheil and a nurse provided compressions together for the first 20 minutes. Hofe and Shiel then administered CPR in the hospital for roughly 40 minutes until a doctor determined that the patient had a pulse.
The officers both said that their training courses, including a CPR course, prepared them to help in this tense moment.
“You never know when the training that you’re taught is going to be needed,” Hofe said. “But when you’re in a position to be in charge or to do something, then you need to fill that role and you need to step up and do that.”