Highlighting CA’s Year-Round Investment in Heart Health
February is American Heart Month, the perfect time to promote life-saving awareness about all things heart health ❤️.
Encouraging a heart-healthy lifestyle is something that CA is committed to year-round. Part of that commitment is doing everything we can to create a safer community — including providing ready access to AEDs in our facilities and free CPR training for team members.
“There’s nothing more important than the health and wellness of our community. Every second counts when someone is having a heart attack or cardiac arrest, so these are priceless investments to us as an organization,” says CA Human Resources and Learning Administrator Adam Scott. “Somewhere around CA, we typically use CPR or AEDs about once a year. We take pride in empowering our team to be able to step up and effectively respond to protect the community.”
As part of his role, Adam Scott leads near weekly CPR trainings for team members across the organization.
Increasing access to life-saving equipment
Did you know that AED stands for “automated external defibrillator”? When someone is experiencing cardiac arrest, an AED is able to analyze the rhythm of the heart and, when appropriate, deliver an electrical shock to help restore a normal rhythm.
Increasing community access to this life-saving medical equipment is a top priority at CA. In 2023, we invested in 65+ new, top-of-the-line AEDs. The ZOLL AED 3® defibrillator has a number of innovative features, like the ability to provide real-time feedback to guide rescuers in delivering high-quality CPR.
There are 65+ ZOLL AED 3® defibrillators located in CA’s various facilities.
“As you soon as you hit the ‘on’ button, the AED screen displays graphics that are coordinated with audio prompts to show you exactly how to help the person in distress,” says Adam. “AEDs can make all the difference in survival, so investing in the latest technology is important to us.”
We have AEDs housed strategically in every single CA facility, including pools, fitness clubs and more. Some of our larger facilities even have up to four AEDs in the same building. Why? Time matters – a person’s chance of survival decreases about 7% for every minute until we can provide defibrillation, so being as proactive as possible helps us safeguard the community.
Investing in free CPR training
When a person’s heart stops beating or is beating ineffectively, rapid chest compressions keep blood and oxygen flowing until help arrives. Immediate CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival during cardiac arrest.
“Providing free CPR training for all team members is another preventative measure that we prioritize as an organization,” says Adam. “In the last two years, over 500 CA team members have been certified, and that number is growing all the time.”
Adam Scott is passionate about making sure CA team member are equipped with the knowledge and skills to step up in an emergency situation.
Adam encourages everyone in the community to learn this life-saving skill – you can visit RedCross.org to find a class near you.
“The more people who are certified, the more people who can impact the community in a positive way. American Heart Month is a great opportunity to raise awareness about why being prepared to do CPR or use an AED is essential year-round.” -Adam Scott
Share your Heart Month moments on social!
We’d love to see the ways you’re celebrating American Heart Month throughout February. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and tag CA to show how this community helps make your heart happy and healthy. We’ll also be sharing life-saving facts on social media all month long.
