American Heart Association advocates for money to keep life-saving lessons in schools

American Heart Association advocates for money to keep life-saving lessons in schools

Every year, more than 350,000 people in the U.S. suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital.

Only one in 10 survive. But CPR can help change those numbers.

The American Heart Association is working to get people those skills at a young age. Kari Rinker, state government relations lead for our region, visited Eye on NE Kansas to explain their efforts.

Rinker said the AHA is asking state lawmakers to provide funding in the budget that will assist school districts with obtaining equipment, such as teaching mannequins, to provide CPR lessons in their schools. CPR training is a requirement for Kansas high school students to graduate, but lack of resources can be a barrier for schools teaching those lessons in a timely manner.

In addition, the AHA backed requirements for schools to have a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan. Part of the plan is to have AEDs readily available. Rinker said the funding request also would assist districts with AED purchases.

Rinker said CPR, if performed quickly, can double or triple a person’s survival chances.

The funding is currently under discussion in the legislature’s budget conference committee.