3,000 Students in Sudbury and Area High Schools to be Equipped with Lifesaving Skills Each Year!

SUDBURY, ON – June 7, 2013 – Today, the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation and its supporting partners are pleased to announce the official launch of the ACT High School Defibrillator Training Program in Sudbury and area high schools. This key enhancement to ACT’s CPR program – which was first established in the area’s schools in 2006 – ensures that students in 26 local high schools will be trained on how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) while learning invaluable CPR skills.

To highlight this important initiative, a media event will take place today, June 7, at 10 a.m. at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School (275 Loach’s Road, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2P8).

Each year, more than 3,000 students from the Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario, Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario, Rainbow District School Board and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board will be empowered to save lives through the ACT High School CPR and Defibrillator Training Program.

The ACT Foundation is the national charitable organization that is establishing CPR and defibrillator training programs in high schools throughout Canada. The program is built on ACT’s award-winning community-based model of partnerships and support. ACT raises funds for training mannequins and defibrillator training units for all high schools, and guides schools in program set-up. The ACT Foundation’s health partners – AstraZeneca Canada, Pfizer Canada and Sanofi – provide sustaining funding for the ACT Foundation. They are committed to bringing the CPR and defibrillation program to high schools in Sudbury and across Canada.

In Sudbury and area schools, ACT’s community partners are Vale, BESTECH, City of Greater Sudbury EMS, Greater Sudbury Utilities/Sudbury Hydro, Sudbury & District Home Builders Association and Sudbury Construction Association. Their generous support has resulted in the donation of 80 defibrillator mannequins and 80 defibrillator training units to schools. Teacher training is provided by the City of Greater Sudbury EMS.

ACT’s provincial partners are the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Foundation as an agency of the Government of Ontario, and Hydro One. “I am proud of our partnership with ACT, and of our ongoing support of this valuable learning opportunity for the schools in our community and across the province,” says Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci. “This advanced technology is proven to save lives, and having it in our schools complements our government’s commitment in making schools safe places for all students, teachers and staff.”

“The Ontario Trillium Foundation is proud to see the ACT Foundation’s program continue to grow and reach even more students and teachers,” said Andrea Cohen, CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. “Investing for impact is one of the Foundation’s main granting objectives and it’s safe to say teaching young people and their teachers how to save a life in an emergency truly fits that description.”

“Hydro One continues to be a proud supporter of the ACT Foundation’s CPR and Defibrillator Training Program”, says John Macnamara, VP, Health, Safety & Environment, Hydro One. “Safety is our priority in everything we do and we feel that it important to assist in the development of these programs in order to ensure we are helping create safe communities and a safety-focused workforce.”

“We are thrilled with the support of ACT’s partners. Without them, this lifesaving program would not be possible,” says ACT Foundation Executive Director Sandra Clarke.

Four in five out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home or in public places. Early CPR, combined with the use of an AED within the first few minutes, can improve survival rates for cardiac arrest victims by up to 75 per cent, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

To date, the ACT Foundation has set up the High School CPR Program in more than 1,600 schools nation-wide, empowering more than 1.8 million youth to save lives.

About the ACT Foundation

The ACT Foundation is the national charitable organization that is establishing CPR and defibrillator training programs in Canadian high schools. To date, the ACT Foundation has set up the ACT High School CPR Program in more than 1,600 schools nation-wide, empowering more than 1.8 million youth to save lives. The program is built on ACT’s award-winning community-based model of partnerships and support. ACT’s health partners who are committed to bringing the program to high schools across Canada include AstraZeneca Canada, Pfizer Canada, and Sanofi.