For the past two years, the Resuscitation Sciences Training Center (RSTC) at Penn State Hershey Medical Center has been developing relationships with school nurses in support of launching CPR education programs in the schools. As part of that initiative, more than 2,000 students attended educational programs, including all-school assemblies and flash mobs. Some attended classes during physical education periods.
Following these sessions, the RSTC sought and received funding from Children’s Miracle Network to reach additional schools. With this funding, the RSTC purchased 22 CPR in the Schools (CiS) kits for placement in 11 school districts across the medical center’s service area. Each CiS kit includes 10 manikins with DVDs to train groups of students or adults in hands-only CPR in just 30 minutes.
On Aug. 7, 25 teachers and nurses responsible for implementing CiS programs in those 11 districts attended an orientation and educational session on the Penn State Hershey campus, at which time they received the kits. American Heart Association representatives also participated in the program delivery. A number of the participants expressed interest in becoming CPR instructors.
The value of each individual school placement (a set of two CiS kits, two AED trainers and spare AED pads) is $1,425, for a total value of $15,675.
The session included a discussion about bills in the state legislature that would require a 30-minute hands-only interactive CPR training session for all high school students in Pennsylvania.
Sudden cardiac arrest strikes 38 people across the U.S. every hour and most victims, about nine of every 10, will die. According to the American Heart Association, if bystander CPR is performed, chances of survival will double or even triple. By training school students, a new generation of lifesavers can be added to the communities each year.