Our CPaRlington program begin in 2005 when Mayor Robert Cluck, a
physician, met with representatives of the
American Heart Association
(AHA) , Arlington
Fire Department and the UT-Arlington School of Nursing to discuss an
initiative designed to improve cardiac arrest survival. While normal
certification requires a six to eight hour commitment, one can learn to
administer emergency CPR in only 22 minutes, all in the comfort of their
own home.
The original goal of CPaRlington was to train 10% of our 377,000
residents the life saving skills of CPR within five years. Since the
program inception, we have surpassed our goal with almost 40,000
Arlington residents learning how to save a life.
CPR Has
Changed!
With our original goal met, we are shifting the focus of
CPaRlington to informing our residents that CPR HAS CHANGED
and is now much easier. For persons untrained in CPR and CPR
trained lay people (non medical professionals) who might be
reluctant to perform mouth to mouth rescue breathing on a
stranger,
HANDS ONLY CPR with chest compressions and no rescue
breathing can save a life. Multiple studies have confirmed
that chest compressions only on adult patients suffering a
cardiac arrest vastly improve the chances of survival . When
a sudden cardiac arrest occurs, it is imperative that
someone calls 911 and immediately begins life saving chest
compressions. The lack of CPR training and/or the reluctance
to perform mouth to mouth ventilations on a stranger often
leads to no by stander actions initiated to save a life.
Studies now prove that hands/compression only CPR can save a
life. There are no longer any excuses for not performing
these life saving actions.
