CPR training kits to be donated to Northland community groups

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - The American Heart Association and St. Luke’s Hospital are teaming up to help raise awareness and save lives in the Northland.

As part of National CPR Awareness Week, the American Heart Association and St. Luke’s Hospital will be donating 80 CPR training kits to local organizations like the Duluth YMCA. They made the announcement during a joint news conference Thursday, saying they hope these kits will train and build communities of life savers.

Development Director Briana Johnson, with the American Heart Association, says the more people are trained in CPR, the more they are likely to help. A nationwide online survey by the American Heart Association says bystanders only perform CPR 46 percent of the time.

According to AHA, each year more than 350,000 people suffer a heart attack outside of the hospital and about 90 percent do not survive. Performing CPR on someone who is having a heart attack, doubles or even triples their chance of survival.

‘When people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, 70 percent of the time it happens at home. So if you want to take 90 seconds to learn hands-only CPR, most of the time the person’s life that you are saving, is someone you love and that is 90 seconds well spent,” said Johnson.

Millions of Americans watched as Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest last year. Since that moment, there has been national attention on the importance of lifesaving CPR training and AED defibrillators.

These kits contain everything to learn basic CPR, AED skills, and choking relief. Groups are encouraged to educate and train employees and members about the importance of CPR and building that confidence in themselves.

“It’s a super easy two-step process, you can learn in 90 seconds,” said Johnson.

You can watch the hands-only CPR video and apply to receive a CPR kit by clicking here.

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