Prior Lake, Minn. – A 41-year-old member of Dakotah! Sport and Fitness is alive, thanks to the quick thinking and action of staff and another member. His rescuers were recently honored by the Business Council of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, which owns Dakotah! Sport and Fitness (DSF).

A fellow DSF member discovered the victim on the floor of the men’s locker room on June 15 with no pulse and his pupils fixed and dilated. The man appeared to have suffered a heart attack.

DSF Maintenance Tech Brian Bowe and Fitness Desk Attendant Mindy Bernstein quickly responded. Bowe and 17-year-old Matt Knute, a Shakopee High School senior and DSF housekeeping employee, grabbed the medical bags and automated external defibrillator (AED) and instructed the front desk attendant to call 911. Meanwhile, longtime DSF member Rose Heinicke saw the commotion as she worked out on a nearby elliptical machine. She headed to the scene, asking how she could help. Bernstein had already done two rounds of compressions when Heinicke took over so that Bernstein could do breaths. The victim was then connected to the AED. After two shocks were applied, he remained unresponsive.

EMTs from Mdewakanton Emergency Services arrived on the scene two minutes after receiving the call. They hooked the victim up to a system that does compressions automatically, soon detected a weak pulse, and immediately transported him to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He had a stint inserted in his chest to address a fully blocked artery. Five days later he was released from the hospital.

DSF Director Tad Dunsworth, who is also a firefighter and EMT with Mdewakanton Emergency Services, said, “We require all of our employees to take CPR and first aid training for this specific reason. Although CPR is rarely used, the value of the training and preparation is immeasurable when something like this occurs. We are extremely proud of their actions and their quickness to respond in saving a member’s life.”

“One of our greatest assets in the Community is our ability to respond very quickly. The Community’s support of the AED program and public safety operations helps us to have successful outcomes and stay ahead of national averages in the emergency services field,” said Mdewakanton Public Safety Director Greg Hayes.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has 27 AEDs at various locations around the Community for use in emergency situations.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to community partnerships, charitable donations, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has also donated nearly $272 million to organizations and causes and paid more than $7.6 million for shared local road projects since 1992, in addition to funding its own infrastructure and contributing generously to regional governments and infrastructure.