Josh Coffey, Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Director of Critical
Care Unit and Intermediate Care Unit, recently found himself in a serious
– but ultimately fortunate – situation by saving the life
of a man who went into cardiac arrest in the middle of a Richmond, Virginia, street.
"I feel like I was just in the right place, at the right time, to
do the right thing, for the right person," he said.
Josh participated in the Allianz Marathon in Richmond on November 16. The
race, known as a top Boston Marathon qualifying event, featured over 5,000
runners competing in the full-length marathon. Josh began running during
the pandemic and has not stopped since. He had a goal of completing a
marathon this year, and had adhered to a training plan for six months
prior to the race, so he felt like he was very prepared.
When Josh arrived at the start line, he waited in line for the bathroom
to ensure he was fully ready for the race. This caused him to start later
than he was intending, but he looks back on that as lucky timing now.
At the one-mile mark, Josh noticed the crowd of runners beginning to part,
which grabbed his attention. As he got closer, he noticed a man in his
seventies on the ground. The man was in cardiac arrest.
When Josh realized that the man had no pulse, he immediately began CPR.
He says he did CPR with assistance for about 10 minutes before an AED,
an automated external defibrillator, was found. He used the AED on the
man and successfully restarted his heart. Fortunately, the man quickly
regained consciousness. Paramedics soon arrived and took him to the hospital.
Josh, and the other two runners who helped deliver CPR, all continued
the race and completed the 26.2-mile event after the 30-minute delay to
attend to the person in distress.
While his pace was far off from his goal, he is still proud of himself
for finishing the race while also saving a life. He managed to pass almost
eight hundred runners and finish at 5:17:50, including the time he took
to give aid to the man. Josh says he has heard that the man did have some
complications but is currently recovering.
Josh's story with CVMC began with a student experience while he was
pursuing his associate’s degree in nursing at Caldwell Community
College & Technical Institute. He originally wanted to be a flight
nurse, even working as a paramedic for MedCenter Air in Charlotte for
some time. After earning his associate's, Josh became a New Grad Nurse
at CVMC. He was able to use the tuition reimbursement program offered
to CVMC employees to earn a bachelor's degree at Appalachian State
and a master's degree at UNC-Wilmington. Over time, he climbed the
ladder all the way to the position of Director of the CCU & IMCU,
where he has been for 18 months now.
"Somebody saw something in me that I have trouble seeing in myself,"
he said. Josh Coffey, MSN, RN, CCRN, CEN, has worked to earn not only
several academic credentials, but has become an integral leader in patient
care at CVMC. He says his favorite part of working at CVMC is the culture
of putting patients first, while still making employees feel heard and valued.
CVMC is proud to employ nurses and leaders who go above and beyond to care
for others – on and off duty. To learn more about the exceptional
care provided by CVMC, visit CatawbaValleyHealth.org.