New Orleans, August 17, 2022 - The American Heart Association of Greater New Orleans collaborated with local sponsors and businesses to fill an urgent CPR training need. They are providing 69 CPR in Schools Training Kits™, which will serve more than 50,000 Greater New Orleans area students each year. The kits have 10 mannequins each, and are sustainable and reusable, meaning the schools can continue to use them year after year, potentially adding more trained lifesavers to our community.

The local American Heart Association, Boysie and Joy Bollinger, and the Ray & Jessica Brandt Family Foundation came together with additional sponsors E.J. and Marjory B. Ourso Family Foundation, Acadian Companies, and InclusivCare to make sure students have the resources they need to fulfill their CPR graduation requirement at no cost to schools.

The CPR in Schools Training Kits will empower students to learn the core skills of CPR in under 30 minutes, including AED skills and choking relief. Everything teachers need to properly educate students: an instructional video, facilitator’s guide, mannequins and a mannequin pump, knee pads, replacement parts and sanitizer is included.  

“Many of the schools, public and private, throughout Greater New Orleans lack CPR kits for training. COVID-19 created an even more urgent gap for students needing to complete CPR graduation requirements. Additionally, it showed a need for students in lower grades to learn this essential, lifesaving skill as so many of us were home bound. Thanks to the recognition of this need for our community, and the generosity of our local sponsors, tens of thousands of our students will now be able to save a life,” said Coretta LaGarde, Executive Director, American Heart Association of Greater New Orleans.

Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States and fewer than half of these people receive the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives. But immediate CPR could double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

“With more than 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happening in homes, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love: a child, a spouse, a parent or a friend. Through programs like CPR Kits in Schools, the American Heart Association is working to increase the number of bystanders who use CPR in an emergency,” said LaGarde.

In 2014, the American Heart Association helped to pass the Burke Cobb Act, which made it a requirement for all Louisiana high school seniors learn CPR before graduation. These kits provide schools with the tools they need to teach hands only CPR skills and gives students the confidence necessary to perform CPR or use an AED, ultimately making our communities safer and empowering youth to save lives.    

To make a donation toward the CPR in Schools Training Kit program, please email AHANewOrleans@heart.org. For more information, visit heart.org/CPR.

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on www.heart.org/louisiana.

For More Information:

Mary Fein

American Heart Association

Mary.Fein@heart.org