
Mega Doctor News
By Joey Gomez
MCALLEN, Texas – South Texas College Continuing Education is holding free Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), and first aid classes with certification from the American Heart Association beginning in August.
Registration is now open to anyone in the community including health care professionals, police officers and community members who seek training that can help save lives in emergency situations.
The free CPR courses are funded by a grant from Texas Mutual, which has been providing funding for courses to Continuing Education for the last two years.
“These courses are just our way of reaching out to the community and providing a service that anybody can take advantage of, and should take advantage of. One day it could be one of your loved ones who needs CPR,” said Olivia De La Rosa, dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development. “The grant from Texas Mutual allows us to give these courses for free and it’s a skill that really everybody should have for their family and loved ones.”
Morning, evening and Saturday classes are available to accommodate busy schedules.
“This is for anybody who needs their Basic Life Support (BLS) certification to work in the medical field or who want to add a first aid class under their belt,” said Elias Hernandez, Continuing Education program developer and coordinator. “We have a lot of availability for those who are interested in these classes, and best of all they can do the training in one day and get their certification at the end, if they successfully pass the class.”
Offering these courses aligns with the college’s mission to serve the community, make a difference in people’s lives and to provide a valuable service that empowers individuals to respond effectively in life-or-death situations.
“You never know when you have to use these skills, but they can definitely offer someone a better chance for survival,” Hernandez said. “It’s super important to have, and it just might be the difference between life and death.”
For more information, or to register, call 956-872-3585 or visit the STC Continuing Education website at https://www.southtexascollege.edu/cpit/.