This Saturday, June 3, is the Compress and Shock Foundations’ annual free CPR and AED Educational Day. The organization is specifically focusing on communities that are underserved and don’t have equal access to CPR and AED Education.
Trainings will be held throughout Southwest Virginia, along with other states. Locally, you can attend a training at Lord Botetourt High School, Roanoke Catholic and Ben Franklin Middle School.
During the Education Day, you will learn hands-only CPR and how to properly use an AED. Each class is about one hour long.
According to Dr. Jack Perkins, Executive Director and Founder of Compress and Shock Foundation, where you live plays a key role in your survival rate if you ever go into cardiac arrest.
“Our foundation’s mission is to provide equal access to CPR and AED education and to try to boost survival levels outside of the hospital no matter the community or any type of barrier to CPR and AED education,” says Perkins.
Anyone can go online and sign up for these free classes, and the goal is to have more people in the community be able to provide life-saving help if needed.
When it comes to cardiac arrest, every second matters. That is why it is so important to have an AED available. The Compress and Shock Foundation has received grants from Carilion, as well as a number of other nonprofits to host these classes and provide free AEDs.
Each site that hosts an Educational Day has the opportunity to receive an AED for their community. Each training must have at least 35 people attend and learn these life-saving skills.
Tracey Driscoll, the Athletic Trainer at Lord Botetourt, says when time is everything, having a second AED is critical.
“Its accessibility for the community, not just for our school. It is just that we are paving the way and trying to get people. You know, we are right here on 220. Come on in and learn how to compress and shock and bring another AED to the community of Botetourt County,” says Driscoll.
Lord Botetourt’s Education Day starts at 9 a.m. and is open to all ages 13 and up.
Driscoll says, “If minutes are wasted on trying to find or retrieve an AED that is too far away, that just seems like we can fix that and that’s what we want to do. We want to fix that window for people and give everyone the opportunity to survive.”
According to Perkins, the Compress and Shock Foundation is going to place 90 new defibrillators in underserved communities this year. They are hoping that number can grow to well over 200 next year.
Dr. Perkins says, “We are hoping this is a new model for the country. We are uniquely positioned in not only providing the education but also grant-funded AEDs into these communities.”