16 CPR & First Aid In Youth Sports Training Kits Donated In Howard County

More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of the hospital setting every year. More than 23,000 children suffer cardiac arrest annually, with nearly 40% happening in conjunction with sports-related activities. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple the chance of surviving cardiac arrest, experts say.

On Friday, the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association received 16 CPR & First Aid in Youth Sports training kits courtesy of Wegmans to help coaches and others know the life-saving skills of CPR and how to use an AED. The kits were presented at the Columbia Wegmans store. Each kit can train approximately 300 people per year.

“Too often, when a person – including a young athlete – suffers a cardiac arrest outside the hospital, they don’t get the help they need to survive,” Tracy Brazelton, executive director of the American Heart Association, Baltimore and Greater Maryland division, told Patch. “Knowing how to respond and being confident in how to respond during a cardiac emergency can literally be the difference between life and death.”

MSYSA Executive Director Greg Smith thanked Wegmans and the American Heart Association for making the CPR & First Aid in Youth Sports Training Kits available to the local soccer community.

“We are excited to work with our amazing affiliate clubs over the coming months to use these

kits to train thousands of people adding critical lifesavers to the local chain of survival,” Smith

said.