February 26, 2013 (Salem, OR) – The American Heart Association (AHA) is advocating that all Americans should be trained in how to save the life of a loved one or stranger. Schools are an excellent place to start because they are a gateway to an entire generation that will be able to respond when they witness someone in their community or home experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
A public hearing on SB 275, a bill that will require all high school students be trained in CPR, is scheduled for the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee during the AHA Lobby Day on Thursday, February 28. Legislators will hear from students trained in CPR, medical professionals, cardiac arrest survivors and others speaking in support of the bill. Major League Baseball umpire and Beaverton resident, James Joyce, will also share his powerful story of saving the life a woman prior to a game last summer. Joyce had learned CPR when he was in high school.
“We know that every 25 seconds someone has a heart attack and every 39 seconds someone dies of a heart attack,” said Lanette Day, Executive Director, American Heart Association – Oregon. “Sadly, most people, almost 90 percent, who experience cardiac arrest at home, work or in a public location, die because they don't receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene. But given right away, CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance for survival,” said Day.
Volunteers and local leaders will meet with their representatives as part of the AHA’s “You’re the Cure” grassroots network and will share their personal stories to help shape policy that will impact future generations. Students from Beaverton Valley Catholic School will also be in attendance and will help train attendees in the life-saving skill of CPR.
“Students in Oregon have already been getting trained in CPR and taking their knowledge to their family and friends,” said Stephanie Tama-Sweet, Government Relations Director, American Heart Association – Oregon. “Teaching students CPR develops real-world skills and responsibility and it takes less than 30 minutes to learn – that’s less time than it takes to watch a TV sitcom – and doing so will bring more than 45,000 trained lifesavers to our community every year.”
Oregonians can join the American Heart Association’s You’re the Cure Network by signing up atwww.YoureTheCure.org.
WHAT: CPR in Schools Hearing and American Heart Association Lobby Day
WHEN: Thursday, February 28
10:35 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – James Joyce Keynote
11:10 a.m. – 11:35 a.m. –CPR training led by Beaverton Valley Catholic students and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – CPR Hearing
All Day – Lobby Day Training and Legislative Appointments
WHERE: Oregon State Capitol – Room 350
900 Court St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301
MEDIA OPPORTUNIES:
· Interview with Major League Baseball umpire, James Joyce
· Interview with Oregonians saved by CPR
· Interview with Senator Mark Hass, Senate Education Committee Chair
· Students from Beaverton Valley Catholic school who have been training people on life-saving CPR (and who will provide a CPR training at the Lobby Day event)
