Honor National Heart Month

Let The American Red Cross Teach You How to Save a Life

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

Hundreds of thousands of people die each year in the U.S. due to a sudden heart attack. Heart disease, including coronary, hypertension, and stroke, remains the number one cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association.

February is National Heart Month, and a good time to learn a new skill that can help save a life. The American Red Cross is a perfect resource. Knowing how to perform CPR and being able to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) during a cardiac emergency are just a few of the many ways you can make a difference.

“Someone who knows how to respond to an emergency is an asset to every household, workplace, and community,” said Richard N. Bradley, MD, Chair of the Red Cross Scientific Council’s Resuscitation Sub-Council, in a 2016 news release.

What do we do?

• Teach CPR Red Cross provides expert and affordable CPR training and certification courses for mandated job requirements or personal use.
• Resource for AED’s Red Cross trains you on how to use an AED and partners with manufacturers to help you receive the devices you need for your workplace, schools, and facilities.
• Host online and classroom courses Red Cross instructs participants on how to identify and respond to cardiac, breathing, and first aid emergencies, including helping someone who is choking, controlling bleeding, and treating heat-and-cold related emergencies.
• Offer the Red Cross First Aid Mobile Application Red Cross enables you to have instant access to information on handling first aid emergencies.

There are also tips for lowering heart disease risk, which include:

• Watch your weight
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation
• Get active and eat healthy

February in a Nutshell

Stayin' Alive by Learning CPR During American Heart Month

By Squiggy the Squirrel

I'm a big fan of the TODAY show. I watch it every morning as I brew my hazelnut coffee, catching up on the news and checking the weather. One story recently caught my eye. You probably heard about it, too: A 5-month-old baby became unresponsive while in his aunt's vehicle on a Florida highway. The aunt pulled over, called for help, and performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) twice before emergency responders came to assist. Thanks to her quick response and those of the emergency responders, the baby is now in stable condition.

Would you be prepared in such a situation? Only about 30% of Americans feel they would be ready to act during a cardiac emergency by administering CPR. This statistic is rather alarming when paired with another one - 80% of cardiac arrests occur in the home, meaning it's likely that the ones we love may be the ones we need to help. So, in honor of February being American Heart Month, I thought it was a good time to go over some information about Hands-Only CPR (CPR with just chest compressions), which has been proven to be just as effective as mouth-to-mouth CPR in treating adult cardiac arrest victims. 

The use of CPR dates all the way back to 1740, but the majority of Americans don't know how to perform it. CPR can save lives, so it's a great preparedness skill to have. I think this video below does a great job going over the basics, but I encourage you to also sign up for a Red Cross course.

A helpful tip that the TODAY Show hosts, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, recently learned was that the beat of the Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" has the right beat for Hands-Only CPR. Pretty cool, right?

Share this post with a friend or family member and make a promise to learn CPR together!

xo,

Squiggy