June was CPR and AED Awareness Month. The Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) and American Heart Association (AHA) joined forces to teach as many people Hands Only CPR as possible and to give out free training kits provided by Anthem, Inc. this month.
RAA and AHA were able to publicize the initiative with the help of 8News, NBC12, CBS6 and Richmond Magazine. RAA and AHA utilized two different events to teach residents Hands Only CPR and hand out kits. The Richmond Fire Station 21 Community Day and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU’s 20th Annual Safety Fair. In total 200 kits were given out with the hopes those who received a kit will teach family and friends in their communities.
Knowing how to administer CPR can be the difference between life and death for someone in distress. In most cases a cardiac arrest will happen outside of a hospital and will involve someone you know or love. If there is no intervention their hopes for survival are diminished significantly. It takes 2 steps to save a life. Call 9-1-1. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest at the sternum until help arrives.
