Good News: St. Mary's Medical Center to host Community Coffee promoting hands-free CPR for American Heart Month

In an effort to educate the public on hands-only CPR, St. Mary's Medical Center is hosting a Community Coffee at Scout Coffee in Grain Valley on Tuesday, February 6th from 8:00am - 10:00am. February is American Heart Month. 

A new survey conducted by the American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that increased visibility of the need for CPR has had a positive impact on someone’s willingness to respond if they are bystanders in a cardiac emergency. However, there remains a significant gap in awareness that emphasizes the urgent need for collaboration between governments, communities, businesses and the media to promote and provide lifesaving training.

The survey, conducted in fall 2023, indicates that although 35% of respondents have the confidence to perform CPR when needed, an increase from 30% in 2021, only 39% of those surveyed are familiar with conventional CPR and only 23% with Hands-Only CPR. According to the AHA, fewer than half of people suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive the immediate CPR they need before professional help arrives. 

Approximately 90% of the 350,000 people who experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year will not survive. Additionally, more than 23,000 children suffer cardiac arrest annually, with nearly 40% happening in conjunction with sports-related activities.

CPR – or cardiopulmonary resuscitation – is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. ​                                        

One of the people helping turn a nation of bystanders into a nation of lifesavers is Buffalo Bills safety and cardiac arrest survivor, Damar Hamlin. Since June 2023, Hamlin has served as the national ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers. Following his cardiac arrest during Monday Night Football on Jan. 2, 2023, millions of people worldwide have engaged with American Heart Association educational content about CPR.
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“You never know when it’s going to be your opportunity to step in and save a life. CPR and AEDs are why I’m here today,” says Hamlin in a newly released video shared on the Association website. “The mission of the Nation of Lifesavers is simple…when someone needs CPR, people can be well equipped to save a life. Someone who can save a life, that’s a superpower if you ask me.”