Free Events to Teach Lifesaving CPR Basics
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
This May and June, Tanner Health System is offering a chance to learn the fundamentals of saving a life with free CPR training at five convenient locations throughout west Georgia and east Alabama.
CPR — or cardiopulmonary resuscitation — is used to help keep a heart pumping in instances of sudden cardiac arrest, when the heart abruptly stops. Sudden cardiac arrest can be caused by electrolyte imbalances, electrical shock, extreme stress to the body, a severe lack of oxygen (such as after drowning or asphyxiation), cardiac rhythm disturbances, structural heart disease and more.
Effective CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can triple a person’s chances of survival. Unfortunately, only 32 percent of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest receive CPR — whether from a friend, loved one or stranger. That’s why fewer than 10 percent of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive.
Four out of every five cases of sudden cardiac arrest occur in the home. That means, odds are, the life you save with CPR is probably going to be someone you know — a child, parent or other loved one.
The good news is that nearly 45 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survive when bystander CPR is administered — and anyone can be the bystander who makes a difference.
Each family or office group registered will receive a free CPR training kit, featuring a take-home DVD, training mannequin and more. Training will be led by a board-certified cardiologist from Tanner. The training does not provide certification in CPR, but does teach the fundamentals you need to save a life.
Each class will begin at 6 p.m. and will last about one hour. The dates and locations are: May 16 in Bremen, May 21 in Franklin, May 30 in Wedowee, June 6 in Carrollton and June 11 in Villa Rica.
For more information and to register now for free CPR training, visit www.tanner.org/cpr. Light refreshments will be available.