Methodist to Offer Free CPR Training

will provide free cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training June 7 from 9 a.m. to noon at the .

Part of a countywide event, the training will occur near the food court outside restaurant next to Methodist Hospital’s Heart Check blood pressure center. About two dozen registered nurses will demonstrate the basics and proper techniques of the American Heart Association’s "Hands-Only" CPR. Participants can practice on mannequins.

“It only takes a few minutes per person,” said Ilene Frost, RN, Methodist Hospital instructor. “We want to encourage people to come out to the mall and take a few minutes to learn this vital skill.”

Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency and the American Heart Association have collaborated to promote this Sidewalk CPR event in communities throughout the county in observance of National CPR Week.

“We want to teach as many as we can how to use this method,” Frost said. “Anyone can save a life simply by being aware of the CPR basics.”

When performed by a bystander, this method has been shown to be as effective as “conventional” CPR in emergencies that occur at home or work or in public. There are only two steps to remember:

1. Call 911
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest — preferably to the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive."
 
Cardiac arrest is more common than you think, and it can happen to anyone at any time. Nearly 300,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur annually and only 32 percent of cardiac arrest victims get CPR from a bystander. Failure to act in a cardiac emergency can lead to unnecessary deaths.

Fewer than 8 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive.

However, effective bystander CPR provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. And because 80 percent of cardiac arrests occur close to home, the life you save with CPR will most likely be that of someone you love.

Don’t be a helpless bystander. If you have two hands, you have what it takes to help save a life with Hands-Only CPR.