AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION Join the Nation of Lifesavers™ during American Heart Month and go from bystander to lifesaver February marks American Heart Month and this year, the American Heart Association is urging all Des Moines families to learn the lifesaving skill of CPR. With more than 350,000 people experiencing cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, including 23,000 children, CPR is a critical skill that kids as young as 9 years old can learn. The Nation of Lifesavers is an American Heart Association initiative focused on doubling the survival rate of cardiac arrest by 2023. It focuses on empowering individuals to learn and perform CPR and use an AED (automated external defibrillator). The intersection of American Heart Month and Black History Month provides an opportunity to address the impact of cardiovascular disease – specifically cardiac arrest – on the Black community. According to the 2022 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation, Black Americans have the highest incidence of cardiac arrest outside of the hospital and are significantly less likely to survive. Cardiac arrest in Black neighborhoods is associated with alarmingly low treatment and survival rates and recent studies have shown lower rates of both bystander CPR and bystander AED use in these neighborhoods. One way to change this trajectory is through education. Learning CPR and joining the Nation of Lifesavers is easier than ever with many learning options available. In Des Moines, families can take an online CPR course, learn and practice Hands-Only CPR with a CPR Anytime® Training Kit, watching a 60-second video to learn Hands-Only CPR, find a Heartsaver™ certification course near them.
19 Publizr Home