First Official CPR/AED Awareness Week Two Months Away
In December of 2007, Congress declared the first week of June each year as National CPR/AED Awareness Week. June 1-7, 2008, will thus mark the first official observance, and the American Red Cross, among other organizations, is encouraging states, cities, and towns to establish organized programs that provide CPR and AED trainings and increase public access to AEDs. ARC says it has stepped up to the challenge and set an organizational goal of reaching 250,000 people nationwide during this one week with the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.
Through this outreach, ARC says it hopes to raise public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, suffered by more than 300,000 people each year, and increase the chance of survival that can be achieved by having at least one person in each household trained in CPR and the use of an AED.
For information on receiving first aid and CPR/AED training or to find out to participate in CPR/AED Awareness Week activities in your community during the first week of June, visit http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_7581,00.html.