Alpha Phi Foundation Launches Take Heart. Take Part. Educational Initiative
Brings the life saving skill of Hands-OnlyTM CPR to college campuses across North America
Evanston, IL – June 1, 2014 – Alpha Phi Foundation has launched Take Heart. Take Part., an educational initiative to educate communities and campuses across North America about life-saving CPR in order to help save more lives from cardiac arrest—a leading cause of death.
In support of the American Heart Association (AHA), Alpha Phi Foundation is adding more lifesavers to communities by training all Alpha Phi collegiate members across North America in Hands-OnlyTM CPR—nearly 16,000 women.
Hands-OnlyTM CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. If you see a teen or adult collapse, you can perform Hands-OnlyTM CPR with just two easy steps:
- Call 911 (or send someone to do that).
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the Bee Gees’ classic disco song “Stayin’ Alive”.
The AHA is asking everyone to learn how to perform Hands-OnlyTM CPR, and Alpha Phi Foundation is proud to play an important role in this movement by equipping its members with this life saving skill. “Since our founding in 1956, we have been committed to improving women’s heart health and giving back to the community,” said Ann Carstensen, executive director. “By empowering our members to know this life-saving skill, we are taking another important step toward saving more lives.”
The Foundation proudly funds 100% of the Take Heart. Take Part. program, providing every collegiate chapter with the AHA’s innovative Family & Friends® CPR Anytime® training kits to use during group sessions. Following the AHA’s goal to train as many people as possible in CPR, local Alpha Phi alumnae are trained to facilitate a Take Heart. Take Part. session for a collegiate chapter in their area.
Since the program launched in February of this year, 96% of Alpha Phi’s 161 collegiate chapters have registered for or completed a training session, with 130 Alpha Phi alumnae volunteering as facilitators.
Alumna volunteer Carol Butler Freeman (Zeta Mu-Colorado State) shared, “I am so proud of Alpha Phi Foundation for initiating and offering this program. It is such an important skill for everyone to learn.”
Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death.
Each year, more than 420,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States, and survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. According to the AHA, approximately 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.
To learn more about Alpha Phi Foundation and Take Heart. Take Part., visit www.alphaphifoundation.org and www.takehearttakepart.org.