FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – February is designated as American Heart Month. It’s a time to raise awareness about heart disease and promote healthy lifestyle choices.
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According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 436,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest each year and more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital.
Sudden cardiac arrest is rare in children, but it can be fatal. It’s the leading cause of death in young athletes, and having a person trained in CPR nearby when an emergency happens can increase the chance of survival.
In recognition of the month and the need for accessible, lifesaving tools, the AHA, with support from Rick Case Automotive Group, gifted 250 CPR Anytime Training Kits to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Broward Health.
This Tuesday, families with infant patients at Joe DiMaggio’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) received the kits and underwent a training on how to use them.
“You never know when you’re going to save somebody’s life,” said Caitlin Stella, Chief Executive Officer, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Services. “It could be any one of us, anytime, anywhere.”
The CPR Anytime Training Kits are designed to allow for learning basic lifesaving skills in about 30 minutes. Over the next three years, 750 kits, including adult and infant kits, will be distributed throughout Broward County hospitals and NICUs.
“Our goal is to make sure that every family can go home with one of these CPR kits so they can save their child’s life if they needed to, because they’ll have the equipment and the tools and the training right at home to do that,” said Rita Case, President and CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group.
“I want to thank Rita for being so forward-thinking and open to being able to give this gift to our entire community,” added Stella.
