ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Travelers who have time to spare before their flight departs can learn Hands-Only CPR in about five minutes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), where a new interactive kiosk will teach this effective bystander CPR skill. The airport is one of seven U.S. locations where a Hands-Only CPR training kiosk will reside, courtesy of the American Heart Association (AHA), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation and the Amerigroup Foundation.
Every year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital and more than 20 percent occur in public places like airports, casinos and sporting facilities. The Hands-Only CPR education available at each kiosk helps users understand how they can immediately help a person who experiences a cardiac emergency outside of a hospital.
Each kiosk has a touch screen with a brief video that shows how to perform Hands-Only CPR followed by a practice session and a 30-second CPR test. With the help of a practice manikin, or a rubber torso, the kiosk gives feedback about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement – factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR.
The kiosk sits on Concourse A between gates A11 and A15, at the world’s most traveled airport. ATL made history last year when it became the first airport in the world to serve more than 100 million passengers in a single year.
“Cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of death in the United States, and survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby,” said Dr. Herman Taylor, president of the American Heart Association’s Greater Southeast Board of Directors. “Although in-person training is still the best way to learn the skills necessary for high-quality CPR, the kiosk will provide additional training that could make a difference and save the life of someone you love.”
The other airports with kiosks include Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) and Indianapolis International (IND); in coming weeks kiosks will be added at Las Vegas’ McCarran International (LAS) and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI). Two additional kiosks will reside at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland, Ohio and in Washington, D.C.
“About 90 percent of cardiac arrest victims die, often because bystanders don’t know how to start CPR or are afraid they’ll do something wrong,” said Jeff Fusile, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia. “Bystander CPR, especially if administered immediately, can double or triple a cardiac victim’s chance of survival, which is why the Hands-Only CPR education available at the kiosk is so valuable. In just a matter of a few minutes, travelers will learn a skill that can potentially make a difference in the lives of those they love most as well as others.”
The two simple steps of Hands-Only CPR are: if a bystander sees a teen or adult collapse, he or she should first call 9-1-1, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive,” which has the perfect cadence for proper CPR.
“The kiosks will help travelers understand how simple it is to perform the two steps of Hands-Only CPR, which will hopefully help reduce some of the trepidation that people have about performing bystander CPR,” said Michael Privette, executive director of the Metro Atlanta American Heart Association. “After completing the kiosk training, we hope people will feel empowered knowing they are taking the first steps in learning a critical skill.”
“The Amerigroup Foundation is proud to team with the American Heart Association to bring this innovative method to learn a lifesaving skill to millions of travelers that come through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport,” said Fran Gary, president of Amerigroup Georgia. “Through this collaboration and ongoing campaign the foundation is working to contribute to the American Heart Associations’ work to double survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2020.”
To learn more about the Hands-Only CPR campaign and learn how to save a life, visit www.heart.org/handsonlycpr or facebook.com/AHACPR.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. As part of our dedication to save lives, we are setting out to train all Americans in lifesaving Hands-Only CPR. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 , visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.
About Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) is the world’s busiest and most efficient airport, serving more than 101 million passengers annually with nonstop service to more than 150 U.S. destinations and nearly 70 international destinations in more than 45 countries. ATL boasts a direct economic impact of $34.8 billion in metro Atlanta and a total direct economic impact of $70.9 billion in Georgia. The Airport is the largest employer in Georgia, with more than 63,000 employees. The Airport is a frequent recipient of awards of excellence for concessions, operations, architectural engineering and construction – including the 2013 Global Efficiency Excellence Award from the Air Transport Research Society, 2013 Project of the Year, Architectural Category for the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal from the American Association of Airport Executives Southeast chapter and the 2012 Best Airport in North America, Business Travel Award from the Business Traveler Magazine. ATL has completed more than $6 billion worth of capital improvements, including a new, energy-efficient rental car center, a gold LEED-certified international terminal and aesthetic and functional upgrades to its concourses, people movers and parking services. For more information, go to www.atlanta-airport.com. Check out the Airport’s YouTube channel by visiting www.youtube.com/AtlantaHartsfield, follow us on Twitter (@Atlanta_Airport) and become a fan on Facebook (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport).
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation
Through charitable grant making, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, promotes Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia’s inherent commitment to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that the company serves. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s annual associate giving campaign and its parent foundation provides a 50 percent match of associates’ campaign pledges. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About Amerigroup Foundation
The Amerigroup Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Amerigroup. Together, with local, regional and national organizations, the Amerigroup Foundation works to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Amerigroup and its affiliated health plans serve. Amerigroup Foundation funding is focused on strategic initiatives working to address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative with five areas of focus: Healthy Heart, Cancer Prevention, Healthy Maternal Practices, Type 2 Diabetes Prevention, and Healthy Active Lifestyle. These disease states and medical conditions include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Associate Giving program which provides a 50 percent match of associates’ campaign pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Amerigroup Foundation, please visit www.anthem.foundation.