Deschutes County Jail deputy saves choking inmate
A Deschutes County Jail deputy saved a choking female inmate in the jail’s medical unit by performing the Heimlich maneuver Wednesday afternoon, sheriff’s deputies said, also noting the first-in-Oregon testing of a new medical alert device that helped in the incident.
Here’s the news release issued Thursday by sheriff’s Capt. Shane Nelson.
On 06/24/15 at 2:25 p.m., Deputy Kevin Carkhuff, a 7 1/2 year Corrections Deputy, was working in the Medical/Mental Health Unit in the Adult Jail.
He heard a female inmate coughing and went to check on her. He noticed she was in distress and determined she was choking after signals from the inmate. He performed the Heimlich Maneuver which dislodged a piece of food from the inmate’s airway.
This inmate was wearing an AliveLock RiskWatch. This RiskWatch is a new device that the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Adult Jail has been testing.
The device is a tool worn by select inmates that assists us in monitoring pulse rate and oxygen levels.
The RiskWatch success is dependent upon the level of cooperation and input of the inmate. In this instance, the RiskWatch signaled an alarm of low oxygen level as the deputy was entering the cell confirming his assessment the inmate was in immediate need of medical attention. The AliveLock RiskWatch provided a valuable extra layer of protection as a tool for monitoring of medical issues.
“This illustrates how valuable the recently completed Medical/Mental Health Unit remodel and jail expansion project is to our jail population. The remodel has created an environment that allows deputies to be in close proximity to special needs inmates. I am thankful to the Commissioners, County Administration and the citizens for supporting this endeavor,” stated Sheriff Larry Blanton.
“We are proud of Deputy Carkhuff and his quick response. Deputy Carkhuff was very attentive to his duties and acted immediately in this situation saving her life. AliveLock has just proven to be a valuable tool for our office. We are encouraged by the performance of the RiskWatch. We will always strive to be better at what we do and continue to provide the best quality service to those we serve,” stated Captain Shane Nelson.
Melanie Bailey, CEO of AliveLock stated, “AliveLock is excited to be partnering with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office to provide inmate safety monitoring of their identified at-risk population. Yesterday, I was able to witness not only our system detect an emergency in progress, but also observe the well-trained professionals in the adult jail respond and save a life.
“Captain Shane Nelson’s and Sheriff Blanton’s commitment to bringing this life-saving technology to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Adult Jail has allowed this jail to be the first jail in Oregon to utilize our technology.”
