HANDS-ONLY CPR TRAINING
IN ST. LUCIE COUNTY SCHOOLS
CELEBRATING WORLD HEART DAY

The Florida Department of Health Celebrates Statewide

St. Lucie County, FL - In celebration of World Heart Day, Sept. 29, the Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County and the Safe Kids Coalition of St. Lucie County is promoting heart health by hosting Hands-Only CPR training in several of the schools with our children in St. Lucie County. World Heart Day is an annual event created by the World Heart Foundation to remind everyone that heart disease and stroke are the world's leading causes of death. The theme for 2015 is creating heart healthy environments.

“We can make small choices every day to keep our heart healthy, but knowing how to possibly save a life using CPR, is giving someone another chance at life,” said Clint Sperber, St. Lucie County Health Officer.

In Florida, 23.4 percent of adults age 65 and older reported in 2013 that they had been told by a healthcare provider that they had a heart attack, coronary heart disease or stroke. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in Florida in 2014 and is the number one killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

“We welcome this partnership as an opportunity to further educate our children on the importance of creating heart healthy environments,” said Superintendent E. Wayne Gent.

What:
Hands-Only™ CPR Training

When:
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Where:
Westwood High (4) Physical Education Classes (80) students each class
Centennial High (4) Physical Education Classes (140) students each class

Hands-Only™ CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. It is recommended for use by people who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an “out-of-hospital” setting (such as at home, at work or in a park). It consists of two easy steps:

1. Call 9-1-1 (or send someone to do that); and
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

Hands-Only™ CPR performed by a bystander has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR with mouth-to-mouth breaths in the first few minutes of sudden cardiac arrest. Watch these videos for a brief overview of Hands-Only™ CPR.

Other partners: Indian River State College student nurses, St. Lucie County Fire District, Fort Pierce Police Department, Department of Health school health nurses, Safe Kids Coalition of St. Lucie County, St. Lucie County Lifeguards and Aquatics and St. James Christian School.

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About the Florida Department of Health
The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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