WKU News

The Hands-Only CPR Mobile Tour will visit WKU's Centennial Mall on Sept. 25.

Do you know the two simple steps of Hands-Only CPR? Now is your opportunity to learn this lifesaving technique. The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary health organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular disease, and Anthem Foundation are teaming up to raise awareness about Hands-Only CPR and train participants during a mobile tour that will stop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday (Sept. 25) at WKU’s Centennial Mall.

Kentucky is among seven states where the tour will stop from Aug. 30 to Oct. 3. The Association and Anthem aim to train 250 participants in Hands-Only CPR at this event. Hands-Only CPR has two steps, performed in this order: when you see a teen or adult collapse, call 911; then, push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.

Over 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital each year. Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR (chest compressions and rescue breaths) for cardiac arrest when it occurs in public. CPR, especially if administered immediately after cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. With 70 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home, a person will likely be trying to save the life of someone they know and love if they’re called on to perform this skill.

“About 90 percent of people who experience an out of hospital cardiac arrest die, which makes this mobile tour training all the more critical because we need bystanders to act if they witness a person suffering a cardiac emergency,” said Sonya Vezmar, an American Heart Association Community CPR manager. “We hope to instill confidence about performing Hands-Only CPR among participants and empower them so they won’t be afraid to perform CPR. It is much better to act than to do nothing at all.”

Two emcees will lead 30-minute interactive sessions that will cover a Hands-Only CPR introduction followed by a performance of a song for the audience to remember when administering Hands-Only CPR. The first 250 participants will receive a free CPR Anytime Kit® that they will use to practice Hands-Only CPR during the session while a song that is 100 to 120 beats per minutes – the rate you should push on the chest during CPR – plays in the background.

Music is a great learning tool in any situation, especially when training for an emergency. Research shows that people are more likely to remember the correct chest compression rate when trained to the beat of a familiar song with 100 to 120 beats per minute, according to a study published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

In addition to the group training sessions, the tour will feature the following:

• AED Learning Lab:  This interactive station shows users how to properly use an automated external defibrillator, or AED.
• Hands-Only CPR Learning Labs: These instructional stations will provide an opportunity to learn Hands-Only CPR on high fidelity manikins, or rubber torsos, that are connected to touch screen laptops. Participants can practice Hands-Only CPR on the manikins and do a test session that will generate a score and provide real-time feedback on their training.
• Social Media Stations:  Visitors can post about their training experience and share information about Hands-Only CPR via social media stations throughout the event.
• Passport:  Each participant will receive a Passport that will help them track the activities they complete such as using the Learning Labs. Then, they can submit their Passport at the end of their Mobile Tour experience to be entered to win a prize.

“We’re excited about our annual tour with the American Heart Association because it’s a valuable way to connect with our communities and bring lifesaving training directly to them,” said Dr. Divya Cantor, Senior Medical Officer for Anthem in Kentucky. “The tour will ultimately help people understand that anyone can save a life with the right training, which is important because they may need to save the life of someone they love.”

The other states where the tour will stop are Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Missouri. Since 2012, the Hands-Only CPR Mobile Tour has trained over 70,000 people in 19 states.

This year, the Association debuted its new Hands-Only CPR Training video that stars actress and comedienne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, who teaches this valuable skill. This memorable video is another way that the public can learn the two steps to save a life if they’re unable to attend the tour stop.

To learn more about the Hands-Only CPR campaign and get ready to save a life, visit heart.org/handsonlycpr or facebook.com/AHACPR.

About the American Heart Association: The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the American Stroke Association: The American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from stroke — the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat stroke. The Dallas-based association officially launched in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit StrokeAssociation.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association receives funding mostly from individuals. Foundations and corporations donate as well, and fund specific programs and events. Strict policies are enforced to prevent these relationships from influencing the Association's science content. Financial information for the American Heart Association, including a list of contributions from pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers, is available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

About Anthem Foundation: The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These disease states and medical conditions include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Associate Giving program which provides a 50 percent match of associates’ pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at http://anthemfoundation.tumblr.com.

Contact: Marissa Alanis, Hands-Only CPR Communications Manager, (214) 706-1538 or  marissa.alanis@heart.org