CPR course offered as part of Red Cross Month
The Red Cross theme for this year’s March is Red Cross Month recognition is “down the street, across the country, and around the world” which emphasizes the scope that Red Cross responds to disasters and promotes preparedness of individuals.
The Sheboygan County Chapter wants to focus on the “down the street” portion of the message by offering the new course CPR Made Simple to the general public. This course is a one-hour class designed to teach a participant skills in Adult CPR/AED and is intended for those who do not need certification for a work or regulatory requirement. It focuses on hands-on practice of Adult CPR/AED skills as well as introducing participants to Compression Only or Hands Only CPR.
About 166,200 out of the hospital sudden cardiac arrest deaths occur annually in the United States. Quick initiation of CPR is crucial to a victim’s survival. In communities where widespread CPR training has been provided, survival rates from witnessed cardiac arrests have been as high as 49 to 74 percent.
In Sheboygan County, the EMS response rate can be between three and nineteen minutes. The survival rate of cardiac arrest victims is 22 percent. If more people knew what to do in an emergency situation, the survival rate could be increased.
Research shows that the shorter the time from collapse to when CPR is initiated and the first shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED) is given, the greater the change of survival of cardiac arrest.
The CPR Made Simple non-certified course provides individuals with a one-hour overview of critical skill that may help them save the life of a family member, friend, or co-worker. In this simplified training, lecture is kept to a minimum so that participants can focus on hands-on practice of skills. The course will cover the emergency action steps, how to check an unconscious adult, how to assist a conscious or an unconscious choking adult, how to give full CPR and hands-only CPR, and how to use an AED.
The class will be offered at three different times in March. The class dates and times are: Monday, March 15 at 9:30 a.m.; Monday, March 15 at 1:30 p.m.; or Thursday, March 25 at 6 p.m. The cost of the class includes a First Aid Preparedness booklet.
To participate in the course, individuals need to register and pay for the class in advance. The Sheboygan County Chapter of the American Red Cross is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For questions, please call 457-7739 for more information.
