Heart Month: Learn CPR and AED Skills

During National Heart Month, the American Red Cross is urging everyone to learn CPR and how to use an AED.

HELP KEEP YOUR FAMILY & COMMUNITY SAFE A recent study conducted by the Red Cross concluded that 43% of U.S. adults are interested in taking or have recently completed a first aid, CPR, or AED course as a personal choice, equating to roughly 100 million adults. Of those interested, 73% identified their primary motivation to be a desire to be prepared and keep their families safe, with 46% identifying a desire to ensure community safety as motivation.

GET TRAINED It is vital for individuals to undergo lifesaving training to be ready for emergencies, which is why the Red Cross offers a variety of online, in-person and blended (online and classroom) courses to meet anyone’s training needs. Instructors provide individual feedback during in-person training sessions and use “peer-to-peer learning.” Everyone who is in a class is divided into teams and takes turns playing the role of coach, observer and lifesaver. It’s a proven way to actively learn and retain what you’ve learned. Find a class near you here.

TRAINING SAVES LIVES When Natalie Bostic’s neighbor mentioned he needed to "catch his breath" while doing yardwork, she didn't think much of it. But when she saw him unresponsive in the grass, she sprang into action, performing lifesaving CPR. For Natalie, it was deeply personal – she had known him for many years, and her children had known him their entire lives. “When we have our annual Red Cross training with school staff, I always tell them that CPR is a lifesaving skill that you never know when you may be called upon to use,” Bostic said.

A resident of Missouri City, Texas, Bostic received a Certificate of Merit Lifesaving Award for her actions from the Red Cross. While at the award presentation in the Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast region, she was quoted as saying that she isn’t a hero but “just a person in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills.”