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Did you know that 7 out of 10 cardiac arrests that happen outside of hospitals each year happen at home? Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about half of those people do not get the help they need from others in the home before an ambulance arrives. Nine out of 10 people who have cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. However, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) can help improve those odds. CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest.

You do not need a special certification to perform CPR, but you do need education. RiverView Health can provide that education free of charge, thanks to the financial sponsorship of the Crookston American Legion Post 20. Hundreds of community members have gained CPR knowledge free of charge over the last several decades by attending a one-time course.

“RiverView Training Center's goal is to help people learn to help others,’’ shared Wendy Oanes, training coordinator. “CPR is one of those skills that can change the outcome for someone when their heart stops. With the American Legion’s donations, we are slowing getting that knowledge out to more people in our community. The more people that know CPR the greater a chance to save a life.’’

RiverView’s Friends and Family class covers what to do if someone’s heart stops beating. In the course, you will learn

• Adult CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator): Hands-Only CPR and CPR with Breaths
• Choking in Adults
• Child CPR and AED: Compressions and Breaths
• Choking in Children
• Infant CPR: Compressions and Breaths
• Choking in Infants

Hands-Only CPR

When most people think of CPR, they think of mouth-to-mouth. But according to the American Heart Association (AHA), hands-only CPR is “as effective in the first few minutes as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, at work, or in public.’’ Hands-only CPR refers to continuous chest compressions without rescue breaths. The purpose of hands-only CPR is to get blood pumping through the victim’s body until paramedics arrive on the scene and perform more advanced life support.

The CDC recommends the following two steps if someone near you goes into cardiac arrest:

1. Call 9-1-1 right away. If another bystander is nearby, save time by asking that person to call 9-1-1 and look for an AED while you begin CPR. AEDs are portable machines that can electrically shock the heart and cause it to start beating again.
2. Give CPR. Push down hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 pushes a minute. Let the chest come back up to its normal position after each push. The American Heart Association recommends timing your pushes to the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive.” Continue giving CPR until medical professionals arrive or until a person with formal CPR training can take over.

Certification Available

For those needing certification, RiverView offers a monthly HeartSaver CPR AED class. The course costs $50 and includes the HeartSaver CPR AED eCard and book. The participant must complete a test at the end of the session.

All classes are held in the RiverView Home Care Building (721 S. Minnesota Street, Crookston) on the second Thursday of each month from 6-10 pm. Registration is required, and payment for the HeartSaver class must be made during registration. To register or for more information, call 281-9405. No walk-ins will be accepted.

RiverView offers these classes as part of its AHA Community Training Center. Contracted Community Training Centers, like RiverView, are the only sites permitted to offer AHA classes to the public and professionals through their affiliated instructors and programs.

The AHA is not responsible for any fees for these classes. The AHA strongly promotes knowledge and proficiency in all AHA classes and has developed instructional materials. Using these materials in an educational course does not represent sponsorship by the AHA. Fees charged for a class, except for a portion for AHA materials, do not represent income to the AHA.

Pictured above: RiverView Training Center Coordinator Wendy Oanes demonstrates CPR.