For over fifty years, the American Heart Association has diligently kept up the scientific guidelines for CPR. When it was identified through this research that hands only CPR could be as effective as breaths for adults, the AHA made it a priority to build awareness around these new standards. The opportunity to help communities become CPR centric by equipping their residents had never been greater.
About 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. Sadly, most of the time it doesn’t happen that way. The American Heart Association is an organization committed to improving the communities and lives of those we serve and putting more qualified lifesavers in Mississippi and across the nation is imperative. In 2012, Mississippi passed legislation to make Hands Only CPR prior to high school graduation a requirement.
Thanks to the support of the Mississippi Healthcare Alliance, we are proud to announce that every high school in Mississippi will receive a CPR in Schools kit during the 2022-2023 school year to help schools meet this graduation requirement. We are planning to host “train the trainer” sessions in October at multiple locations across the state and will be led by certified CPR educators from the Mississippi Fire Academy. We are asking that each school send one representative to attend the training and receive the CPR in Schools kit for their school. We will announce the training dates and locations soon.
We look forward to working with you and your school on this important initiative this year and preparing the next generation of life savers.
With heart
