Picture this: You’re at a family gathering and suddenly your aunt
collapses to the ground, becomes unresponsive and stops breathing. What
do you do? With National CPR Week celebrated in early June, summer may
be a good time to consider taking a class and learning CPR. According
to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital sudden
cardiac arrests occur annually, and 70% of cardiac arrests occur at home.
With numbers like these, the stark reality is—if you learn CPR—you
may one day save a loved one.
Catherine Hargrove, RN, MSN, health education manager at Torrance Memorial
Medical Center, says Torrance Memorial offers CPR classes and certification
for individuals and community groups. CPR training is available for saving
infants, children and adults, and is offered onsite in the health education
building and in various community locations such as churches and workplaces.
One community group that receives CPR training from Torrance Memorial is
Calle Mayor Middle School in Torrance. As a longtime partner of the hospital’s
Adopt-A-School program, Calle Mayor seventh graders began learning CPR
from Torrance Memorial staff in the fall of 2014. Now in its second year,
the program has certified 200 students in CPR, according to principal
David Mosley. “We were looking for a program that provides real-world
application for our students as part of their life-management and health
courses. With many of our students being either older siblings or working
as babysitters, the CPR training that Torrance Memorial provides is relevant
and excellent.”
Jenna Gebel, life-management and health teacher at Calle Mayor who coordinates
the program with the hospital, says, “Torrance Memorial provides
a great service for our school. The students love this training."
Countless lives are saved each year by CPR. Learning how to perform CPR
can empower you to save a life.