Over 700,000 students empowered with CPR to save lives

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, 28/11/05

With the release today of new CPR standards aimed at improving odds of survival, the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation of Canada is stepping up its national campaign to establish CPR as a mandatory course in every high school. ACT spearheads community support to donate mannequins to schools and guides schools in setting up a long- term, self-sustaining program. Physical education teachers teach CPR to students as a regular part of the curriculum.

ACT has already brought the lifesaving CPR program to over 700 high schools across Canada. Over 700,000 students have been trained. Through the Foundation’s award winning community based model of partnerships and support, ACT has donated over 15,000 mannequins to schools. Three provincial governments have included CPR in the provincial curricula (Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba). Research indicates that citizen CPR response can improve survival rates for victims of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by almost fourfold. With eight in 10 cardiac arrests occurring at home, empowering youth with CPR training in high school will increase CPR response rates at home, in hockey arenas, shopping malls, and throughout the community.
About the ACT Foundation
The ACT Foundation is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to establishing CPR as a mandatory program in every Canadian high school. ACT spearheads community support to donate mannequins and materials to schools. Teachers then teach the program to their students. The Foundation has implemented the ACT High School CPR program in over 700 high schools across Canada and over 700,000 students have already been trained through this award-winning initiative. ACT’s corporate health partners are: AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Pfizer Canada and sanofi-aventis. For more information visit: www.actfoundation.ca.