The County of San Diego is partnering with UC San Diego to launch Revive & Survive San Diego, an initiative to train 1 million San Diegans how to perform CPR for people in cardiac arrest.
“Cardiac arrest continues to be a leading cause of death across the country,” said Kristi Koenig, M.D., County of San Diego Emergency Medical Services medical director and co-lead of the Revive & Survive San Diego initiative. “No amount of preparedness in a hospital can save a life if the person does not make it into the building. Receiving CPR at the scene will save lives.”
In 2021, 8% of people who experienced an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in San Diego County were successfully revived and survived, according to the county.
Revive & Survive San Diego will work with local healthcare providers and community partner organizations to offer free hands-only CPR training.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
You can check out the available trainings, here.
Earlier this month, a Spring Valley Teen was honored for saving his grandfather's life by performing CPR while being instructed by the 911 dispatch.
“It felt like the dispatcher was there with us in person,” Emily Kelly, Flores' grandmother, said. “When she told him to do CPR, he started down here (motioning to her stomach), and she said, ‘No, between the breasts,’ and he moved his arms and started going."
According to the American Heart Association, immediately administering CPR can double or triple the chances of survival for a person who goes into cardiac arrest.
For further details on the Revive & Survive San Diego initiative, click here.
