Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the world. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Almost three out of four of those happen at home. As has been recently highlighted by the cardiac arrest during a recent NFL game of Damar Hamlin, quick, effective CPR saves lives. As a pediatric cardiologist and American Heart advocate I am made aware of this almost daily.
If you’re called on to do CPR, you will likely be saving the life of someone you love. The members of our community need us. Our children need us. Our neighbors need us. Our co-workers need us.
The American Heart Association recognizes this need and has a plan to help. You can be the difference by learning CPR to save a life. The AHA is committed to being the leader in resuscitation science, education and training.
This February during American Heart Month, the AHA is specifically focused on learning the life-saving skill of CPR. We want every family and home to have someone who knows CPR. With the help of local supporters, we can help more of our community be prepared when called on for an emergency.
Please visit these links to see how you can get started:
Be the Beat | American Heart Association CPR and First Aid at cpr.heart.org/en/training-programs/community-programs/be-the-beat
American Heart Association CPR and First Aid at cpr.heart.org/en/
As a Granby resident and member of the American Heart Association Connecticut Board of Directors, I encourage you to Be the Beat by learning CPR to be the difference and save a life.
Seth Lapuk, MD
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center