American Heart Association Launches CPR Training Grants for School Heart Clubs

The American Heart Association has launched a new financial grant program to equip 40 high school and college Heart Clubs across the country with CPR training and resources. Announced on World Restart a Heart Day, this initiative aims to make it easier for students and educators to learn lifesaving skills and add more people to the Association's Nation of Lifesavers movement, which targets doubling survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2030.

Nayan Sapers, American Heart Association Volunteer National Youth Leadership Council member, emphasized the importance of school preparedness, stating that more than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside the hospital each year according to data from Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2022 Update. These Heart Club grants will empower students and teachers to take control of their own lives, learn CPR, develop cardiac emergency response plans, and advocate for public policies to ensure all schools are prepared for cardiac emergencies.

The grant program includes two distinct components. Twenty college grants provide funding for two CPR in Schools Kits, complete with manikins, AED simulators and training materials, plus $500 to facilitate CPR training on their college campuses. These grants give Heart Club leaders everything they need to promote the lifesaving skill of CPR to students and faculty. Meanwhile, twenty high school grants provide up to $4,500 to help create safer school environments by developing Cardiac Emergency Response Plans, providing card-credentialed CPR First Aid AED training for students and faculty, raising awareness with CPR in Schools Kits, and advocating for public policies that make schools safer.

According to American Heart Association data, 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person's chance of survival. The Association, as the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, education and training, publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR and will release newly updated CPR clinical guidelines on October 22.

Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, noted that Hands-Only CPR is a simple two-step skill that could save someone's life in an emergency, but not everyone gets the help they need when they need it. Learning CPR should be part of our culture, similar to getting a driver's license or attending prom. These grants will help transform how we think about emergency response and save more lives. All registered Heart Clubs with a faculty advisor are encouraged to apply, with no prior CPR credentialing required, as recipients will receive full training and guidance from the American Heart Association. Applications are due November 20, with winners announced December 8.