The 15th annual “Be a Heart Starter! training day will be held at the Cajundome on Saturday, May 16. Since training days began in 2000, the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest in Acadiana have increased from 1 - in-100 to 1 -in- 3.

Nearly 17,000 Acadiana residents have been trained in bystander CPR at this nationally recognized event over the last 14  years. Over 1,000 people were trained and over 200 volunteers supported the event in 2014 alone.

Being prepared at home and having trained employees, as well as the rapid response of first responders, makes Acadiana a safer place to live. 75  percent of all sudden cardiac arrests happen at home and many times no one knows how to administer CPR.  If bystander CPR is not provided, survival rates are reduced seven to 10 percent with each minute of delay.

The ‘Be A Heart Starter!’ training day is a free event and is open to anyone of middle school - age or older who wants to learn bystander CPR. Two, two-hour sessions will be held, one at 8 AM and the second at 1030 AM.  Demonstrations on administering CPR to infants and children, instruction on how an automatic external defibrillator (AED) , and a special training table areas for participants who are not able to kneel comfortably during training will be available in addition to CPR training.  Also, a segment of the course will focus on stroke recognition.

There is no cost, though advanced registration is requested by calling toll-free 877-242-4277, or by clicking here. Each participant will receive a “Be A Heart Starter!” T-shirt, training course participation certificate and more.

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