August 26 – Melissa Samaniego was calm in the early hours of May 19 when a resident of the Consuelo’s Place shelter downtown rushed to the front desk where she worked the night shift.
The woman screamed that her partner was unresponsive in their room.
After calling 911, Samaniego administered the opioid overdose reversal agent naloxone to the man and then began CPR. She had administered a second dose of naloxone by the time emergency personnel arrived at the homeless shelter, and the man had regained consciousness.
“And now I’m sweating,” Samaniego said with a laugh Monday morning as she was honored by the American Red Cross for her actions that day. She was given the Red Cross Lifesaving Award — the organization’s highest honor for professional first responders.
Although Samaniego (26) feels more uncomfortable in the spotlight than under pressure, she says she is honored by the recognition and hopes her story will encourage more people to take a CPR course.
She had worked at Consuelo’s Place for the past four years and had completed CPR recertification training just one month before the incident.
Kathy Segura-Salas, director of the New Mexico Red Cross, said this is the first time in her 23 years with the organization that she has presented the top award in Santa Fe.
Samaniego, a native of Santa Fe, said she was proud to put her hometown in a positive light. “It makes me happy to be able to give it the recognition it deserves,” she said. “There are a lot of workers here who work really hard.”
Mayor Alan Webber, who attended Monday’s ceremony, described Samaniego as a hero.
“You saved someone who otherwise wouldn’t have survived, and that’s amazing,” Webber said.
The partner of the man whose life Samaniego saved also spoke briefly during the ceremony.
“Thank you for being there,” she said before hugging Samaniego with tears in her eyes.
Samaniego has worked at Consuelo’s Place since it opened as an emergency shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously worked at St. Elizabeth Shelters’ Casa Familia, a women and family shelter, and at the Interfaith Community Shelter at Pete’s Place.
She said she had provided first aid before, but this was the first time she had received an award.
Samaniego is an advocate of CPR training.
“I think everyone should have CPR training,” she said. “You never knew when you were going to have to do something.”
Michele Williams, manager of Consuelo’s Place, said the shelter, which serves 80 to 90 clients at a time, is accustomed to providing medical care and all employees are trained in CPR. But Samaniego was the first to use the practice to save a life.
“We always have medical things here because about half of our population is over 55,” Williams said. “Homeless and over 55 is usually a pretty high medical need.”
She said the man who nearly died there had been struggling with addiction for a “long time.” While shelter staff are unsure about his medical condition, they believe it may be related to an opioid overdose after he reacted to the nalaxone Samaniego administered, she added.
She noted that residents are not allowed to have illegal substances in the shelter.
Williams, who nominated Samaniego for the Red Cross award, said: “She knows everyone by name and knows something personal or unique about each client. … She’s a very caring person and pays a lot of attention to everyone.”
According to Williams, Samaniego’s actions during the emergency show who she is as a person and as an employee.
“We know what everyone is like in a normal work environment; you don’t know how someone reacts under stress,” she said. “And she was a rock star.”
