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Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, with over 324,000 out-of-hospital cases occurring every year. Survival rates in these situations drop as much as 10 percent for every minute that goes by without intervention.
If you could help save a life by giving just 60 seconds of your time, wouldn’t you?
February is Heart Month, and many health and wellness organizations will be sharing information aimed at helping Americans to be healthier themselves and to help others to increase their chances of surviving a heart attack. Anthem is working with the American Heart Association to educate millions of Americans about the lifesaving power of Hands-Only™ CPR.
Hands-Only CPR has just two simple steps:
- If a teen or adult suddenly collapses, call 911; then
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the Bee Gees’ song, “Stayin’ Alive” until help arrives (The song has more than 100 beats per minute, which is the rate in which chest compressions should be given during Hands-Only CPR).
Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional mouth-to-mouth CPR, and people are more likely to feel comfortable performing it. When begun immediately, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
We know it works. In the spring of 2014, Anthem’s Jerry Kertesz learned Hands-Only CPR at one of our sales conferences. Just three weeks later, he used it to save the life of his wife, Lisa. On the morning of April 9, 2014, Lisa went into cardiac arrest and Jerry quickly began administering Hands-Only CPR. After Lisa was stabilized and on the mend, the doctors involved in Lisa’s treatment and care told the Kerteszes that Jerry’s quick actions saved her life.
Jerry’s story is a testament to the effectiveness of the campaign and we’re proud to continue this important work. To date, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the American Heart Association have taught more than 3 million people this lifesaving skill. Our goal is to train nearly 9 million people via a mobile tour, online training videos and Hands-Only CPR kiosks across the country.
You can learn Hands-Only CPR right now by watching the American Heart Association’s one-minute training video. The 60 seconds you spend now could save a life one day.
Watch in English
Watch in Spanish
Not into disco?
The Hands-Only CPR campaign’s success has been due, in part, to its tie to music. The Bees Gees’ hit song “Stayin’ Alive” has the rate of at least 100 beats per minute, recommended for performing Hands-Only CPR. Over time, more songs have been introduced as helpful reminders of what to do in a cardiac emergency. Check out the Spotify playlist here.
Other great ways to raise your heart IQ
Learn more about Hands-Only CPR
Take the CDC Heart Disease Quiz
Download: Your Heart Health Kit – Getting employees in beat with cardiac wellness
Download: Guard Your Heart – Be a heart hero
Download: 5 Ways to Help Your Heart
