Training Arlington Citizens
Our CPaRlington program began in 2005 when Dr. Robert Cluck 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.