According to many surveys, Alexandria is considered the 18th healthiest city in the US in 2023, and many factors contribute to that status.
For one, the nature surrounding Alexandria is enough to get citizens to go out on regular walks, hikes, or runs. That helps them stay in shape and avoid serious diseases that an unhealthy lifestyle could cause. Another thing that contributes to the overall health rates is people’s awareness of the importance of knowing CPR.
In Alexandria, people of all ages obtain CPR certificates every year. There are many organizations offering classes and certifications for locals. Whether it is for their job or just to help others, getting the training is wise. However, there is a need to promote CPR education and awareness further, so today’s article will discuss why this is so important for people from the area.
The Importance of CPR Education
Knowing CPR is essential for people of various ages, from children to elders. Some choose to obtain a CPR or AED certification because they need it, while others go through training to learn the basics of CPR.
Did you know that less than 3% of all US citizens received CPR training and certification between 2010 and 2011? Of course, things have been changing since, and today, CPR training is more popular than ever. Nonetheless, there are some rural communities and minority-populated neighborhoods where the rates of bystanders able to perform CPR are even lower than 3%.
This means that, more often than not, people have limited knowledge of CPR, making them incapable of helping persons in need. We think that lack of proper CPR education could be at the root of the problem, which is why we decided to create a short list of the key reasons why someone can benefit from CPR training:
Saving Someone’s Life
Promoting CPR education and awareness in a community is vital. Locals must realize that knowing how to perform chest compressions and give rescue breaths can indeed help save someone’s life.
CPR is most commonly performed in case of cardiac arrest because once the heart stops functioning, the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs. So, only a few minutes separate the person suffering cardiac arrest from losing partial or all brain function. If an ambulance or medical professional cannot reach them within that short timeframe, the person’s life would depend on the bystanders’ ability to perform CPR.
But cardiac arrest is not the only time a person might need CPR. Similarly, CPR knowledge is needed to help someone drowning or choking. The same number of compressions and breaths would need to be performed to keep oxygen flowing to the brain until the doctors can take over.
Once such important facts on CPR knowledge are laid out, we believe that more and more people will be willing to take the classes and receive the certificate.
Identifying a Cardiac Arrest
Even though we mentioned that CPR is crucial in case someone suffers a cardiac arrest, we should also mention that the CPR classes teach people important information on how to identify a cardiac arrest. As it turns out, not many can tell a cardiac arrest from other types of emergencies, yet a timely diagnosis could be crucial.
Currently, cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in the US, claiming the lives of thousands of people annually. Most cardiac arrests, or about 350,000, occur outside of a hospital yearly, many of which have fatal consequences. This further proves how important it is for people to know to perform CPR whenever needed and not spend precious time waiting for medical personnel to reach the emergency site.
Using an AED
In addition to CPR, a person in cardiac arrest might need to be treated with an AED – automated external defibrillator. Many CPR courses also include training on how to use this device, which is now commonly available in community spaces.
There is no rule or regulation saying that an Alexandrian must not use an AED if they have not received the proper training. Still, it is recommended for the person to have the training to know how to stay protected while also avoiding causing further pain to the person who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
Luckily, there are training programs that offer CPR and AED training and certification on both, so interested parties can look into the topic and find the classes that best fit their needs.
Bonus Employment Points
Another thing that might encourage people to receive a CPR certificate is the bonus employment points they could score with a valid CPR certificate. There are many low-risk jobs where one can benefit from CPR training. For example, kindergarten and school teachers need to know infant or child CPR in case a pupil needs help.
If someone wants to be a rescuer, police officer, or medical professional, they will undoubtedly have to get trained in various CPR types in combination with AED training and whatever other training their job requires.
If nothing else, the situation with NFL’s Damar Hamlin also shows the importance of CPR training for athletes, trainers, and all those who do sports. A combination of exhaustion and dehydration could cause many problems, sometimes more serious than some might expect.
How to Raise Awareness
One thing that can be concluded from the statistics mentioned above is that promoting CPR education and awareness on the topic is now more important than ever. It would not be a stretch to say that CPR education should even be obligatory for people of a certain age.
However, before we advocate for the importance of making CPR training obligatory, we want to take a minute and talk about how people can raise awareness on the topic. Here are a few options to consider:
Spread the Word
If nothing else, everyone can participate in spreading the word around. With social media, it is easy to share messages with people not only in the state but anywhere else in the world. Similarly, words can get far from mouth to mouth. Because of this, it is important for community members to do their best to spread the word on the topic.
Alexandria is estimated to have only over 154,000 inhabitants, so it is safe to assume that the word could spread quickly. We believe this could get more people interested in receiving CPR certification and training for other skills to help people in need.
Online and In-person Classes
More and more organizations should focus on Alexandria and start organizing classes or seminars on CPR while also offering certification. At the moment, organizations such as the AHA and Red Cross offer classes and certification in CPR. Alexandrians can take full advantage of several types of classes, including:
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- Regular CPR Classes
- CPR and First Aid Classes
- Infant CPR Classes
- Company and Group CPR Classes
Everyone interested can take the class at the designated location – in a training center or at home. The more accessible the classes are, the more likely people are to take them.
The entire learning process takes only a couple of hours, after which you receive a certificate that will be valid for a few years. Once it comes near its expiry date, you can renew it to stay up to date with your training.
Final Words
Approximately 65% of all US citizens have received CPR training at some point but do not follow through with their certificates, so they forget vital information that could help them save a life. This simple class that would not take longer than a few hours can be the difference between someone’s life and death.
Because of this, we urge everyone to start taking CPR more seriously and to be responsible with their CPR certification. If you are from Alexandria but have yet to receive your training, please do not hesitate to enroll in some of the classes mentioned above. It is better to have the training and never need it than to need it and not have it.