Anchorage, Alaska, Nov. 21, 2024 – On National Rural Health Day, the American Heart Association (AHA) announced a new multi-year initiative aimed at teaching Hands-Only CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills to rural communities across Alaska. This effort seeks to empower residents to act quickly in emergencies, turning bystanders into lifesavers.
Many remote villages in Alaska are isolated from the state’s road system, which can delay medical assistance during emergencies. In cases of cardiac arrest, immediate action is crucial. Survival often depends on someone nearby starting chest compressions and using an AED. However, many people in these areas lack knowledge of CPR and the location of nearby AEDs.
To address this issue, the AHA, in partnership with local leaders and certified trainers from LifeMed Alaska, will distribute CPR Anytime® Training Kits to remote communities. By 2030, the organization plans to visit over 200 rural Alaskan villages. Each visit will include a Hands-Only CPR and AED training session led by a LifeMed Alaska expert. Additionally, one training kit will remain in each village for residents to practice their skills and teach others.
Kristin George, executive director of the AHA in Alaska, emphasized the importance of this training. “Imagine being in a remote village where it can take a long time for medical help to arrive during a cardiac emergency,” she said. “It’s essential for everyone to learn these lifesaving skills. They could be the difference between life and death for someone you love.”
In the United States, over 350,000 people experience cardiac arrests outside of hospitals each year, including 23,000 children. Sadly, 90% of these individuals do not survive. Immediate CPR can double or triple a victim’s chances of survival, and even children as young as nine can learn how to perform it.
In October, the AHA and LifeMed Alaska began their first visits to rural communities in the Norton Sound region. They visited St. Michael (population 300), Wales (population 294), and Shishmaref (population 568). More visits are planned across various regions in Alaska in the coming months and years, providing more residents with opportunities to learn Hands-Only CPR and join the AHA’s Nation of Lifesavers™.
The American Heart Association is recognized globally for its leadership in resuscitation science and publishes official CPR guidelines. Through its Nation of Lifesavers™ initiative, the AHA aims to double cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030. This rural Alaska program is supported by the Foss Family Foundation and LifeMed Alaska.
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