Three years ago this June, the American Heart Association decided to take CPR to the streets. Literally… We outfitted a trailer, sourced a street team and began a cross-country campaign teaching Americans the two simple steps of Hands-OnlyTM CPR:
- Call 9-1-1
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive”
We made learning CPR fun and exciting, incorporating music, dancing and community. After three years, 18 tour stops and countless disco moves, we’ve trained over 16,000 people and will wrap up the tour with our final six cities this fall. Please visit www.heart.org/handsonlycpr for more information on our Hands-Only CPR campaign and mobile tour.
A Hands-Only CPR Tour stop during CPR Awareness Week 2014
This CPR Awareness Week I’m reflecting on the impact our collaboration with the WellPoint Foundation has had over the past three years. This musical road trip would not be possible without their generous support. They saw the value in this mission and the benefit of using music to educate people about CPR. Moreover, they helped us bring Hands-Only CPR to communities all over the country, spreading awareness and teaching skills that will ultimately save lives.
Our community efforts extend to the Latino population as well. Did you know that, in the United States, Latinos are 30 percent less likely to have someone perform CPR when they suffer a cardiac arrest? As our very own Comilla Sasson points out in her blog for Huffington Post (link), it is now more important than ever for ALL communities to learn Hands-Only CPR. Please take a moment to view our new training video here.
Equipping Americans with lifesaving skills is not an easy job, but many hands make light work. We are grateful to WellPoint, our staff, Volunteers and Instructors who have made the tour a tremendous success. Happy CPR Awareness Week!