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High School CPR
Knowing CPR means knowing how to save lives. The ACT Foundation is working to set up the lifesaving CPR program in every Canadian high school, so that all youth will graduate with the skills and knowledge to save lives. Here's your chance to learn: Every year, thousands of Canadians die from cardiac arrest because they don't receive medical treatment fast enough. Eight in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home and citizen CPR response is available in only about 15 per cent of cases. Survival rates could be almost four times higher with citizen CPR, according to a landmark study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Research also indicates that citizen-initiated CPR is clearly associated with very good quality of life for survivors of cardiac arrest. With most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring at home, early recognition of a cardiac emergency by a family member, early access to medical help (calling 911) and early citizen CPR are critical to saving lives. The majority of cardiac arrest victims do not receive citizen CPR, and many lives could be saved if it were available before the arrival of emergency medical services. Learning CPR is easy and takes only a few hours. What is the ACT High School CPR Program? Through this initiative, the ACT Foundation rallies the support of community partners and raises funds for program start-up resources for schools, including CPR training mannequins, teacher training and materials. ACT then guides schools in setting up a long-term, self-sustaining program. High school teachers teach their students the four hour Heartsaver CPR course as a regular part of the curriculum. This ensures all youth will graduate with the skills and knowledge to save lives. What do students learn through the program? RISK factors for cardiovascular disease and the importance of adopting a heart healthy lifestyle. How does the ACT High School CPR Program work? ACT first gains commitment from schools for a long-term, self-sustaining program. Then ACT brings together community partners to provide start-up resources for schools. These partners include corporations, foundations and service clubs who support ACT's community coordination role and donate funds for mannequins, teacher training and materials. ACT then secures partnerships with local CPR agencies such as St. John Ambulance, the Red Cross and the Heart and Stroke Foundation to train high school teachers as CPR instructors for their students. The Medical Director for the local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Agency provides medical direction. A strong volunteer base drives program implementation. Schools own the program, high school teachers teach their students, and mannequins are donated by the community. It's easy to set up and maintain over the long term.
Contact ACT: 1-800-465-9111 |
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