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February is American Heart Month—a time when we’re reminded that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. But beyond prevention, there’s a crucial conversation we must amplify: preparedness. The ability to recognize and respond to a cardiac emergency can mean the difference between life and death. Yet, the vast majority of Americans remain unprepared to act.
More than 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year. Tragically, 90% do not survive. Nearly 70% of these emergencies happen at home, meaning the life on the line is often that of a loved one. For children, the numbers are sobering—more than 23,000 experience cardiac arrest annually, with 40% of those incidents related to sports.
We must shift CPR training from a “nice-to-have” skill to an essential life competency, as fundamental as learning to swim or fastening a seatbelt.
Breaking the Bystander Effect: A Call to Everyday Heroes
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Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Yet, despite its unpredictability, a national survey following Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse in 2023 revealed a stark reality—seven in ten adults reported lacking the confidence to perform CPR. This hesitation isn’t just a statistic; it’s a gap in our collective ability to save lives.
The good news? Awareness is rising. Since Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, bystander confidence in performing CPR has grown from 33% to 39%—an increase representing 17.7 million more Americans feeling empowered to act. This is progress, but it’s not enough. Every coach, parent, teacher, and community leader must become a champion for CPR education.
“The truth is, if you are called to respond in a cardiac emergency, being prepared to step in with CPR may save the life of someone you love, even a child,” said Scott Webb, board chairman of the American Heart Association in metro Atlanta and vice president, account services, Pointnext Technology Services at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “It’s up to all of us to make sure that our families, our students, and our athletes are safe when it matters most.”
CPR: A Skill Everyone Should Master
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There are three primary types of CPR, each tailored to different situations:
- Traditional CPR: Combines chest compressions (at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute) with rescue breaths, used for adults and children who are unresponsive and not breathing normally.
- Infant & Child CPR: Modified for smaller bodies, using gentler compressions—two inches deep for children (with one or two hands) and 1.5 inches for infants (with two fingers), followed by breaths.
- Hands-Only CPR: A compression-only method that has proven just as effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of response for teens and adults. The two critical steps: call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.
Creating a Culture of Preparedness
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CPR shouldn’t be an afterthought—it should be a built-in part of our societal fabric. The American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative is driving this shift, aiming to double the cardiac arrest survival rate from 10% to 20% by 2030. But this can’t be achieved by healthcare professionals alone. It requires commitment from communities, schools, workplaces, and families.
“When parents, teachers, and coaches commit to learning CPR, it normalizes preparedness. It transforms an emergency response from a moment of panic into a moment of action,” says Dr. Divya Gupta, board president of the American Heart Association in metro Atlanta and heart failure and transplantation cardiologist at Emory Healthcare.
As we celebrate American Heart Month, let’s go beyond the heart-shaped chocolates and dinner reservations. Schedule time to learn CPR. It can take as little as 90 seconds to watch a video and understand the basics—but that short investment could mean a lifetime for someone else.
Join the movement. Be the difference. Visit heart.org/nation to become a part of the Nation of Lifesavers today.
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