'One-Stop-Shop' for first aid and resuscitation training will empower more Canadians to save lives and reduce the impact of injuries
BANFF, AB, April 29, 2014 /CNW/ - The Heart and Stroke Foundation today launched the Heart&Stroke First Aid/CPR training program to teach Canadians how to respond quickly to accidents and injuries, in addition to the life-saving skills of CPR and AED use.
The 16-hour standard first aid course will cover 17 areas of critical care including emergency scene management; respiratory and cardiovascular emergencies; child/infant CPR and choking; burns, bleeding and wounds; and bone, joint and muscle injuries.
"Medical emergencies can happen any time, any place," says David Sculthorpe, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSF). "Our goal is for all Canadians to be ready, willing and able to act in the event of a medical emergency."
The Foundation's CPR and AED courses have a proven track record of providing high quality materials and support to its instructors who, in turn, teach these life-saving skills to Canadians. Heart&Stroke First Aid will follow the same high standards, providing best-in-class training and materials in both official languages.
"Saving lives is one of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's key mission pillars," says Sculthorpe. "Enabling faster, better emergency response is at the core of our mission. It is integral to our goal of reducing death from heart disease and stroke by 25 per cent by 2020. Empowering every Canadian through the opportunity to access exceptional first aid and CPR training will bring us closer to that goal."
He adds that more than 250,000 lost-time workplace injuries occur in Canada every year."More Canadian trained in first aid means more lives saved and less time lost due to injury."
The Foundation has developed the training materials and is currently training its instructor network to teach the course. Instructors who currently teach first aid for other agencies can take a bridging course to certify as an HSF first aid instructor.
"We have had overwhelming feedback from our instructor network urging us to offer a course that includes first aid in combination with CPR training," says Sculthorpe. "They trust and value our materials as well as the Heart and Stroke Foundation brand."
HSF is a leader in resuscitation in Canada. As Canada's only member of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) — the global experts in resuscitation — the Heart and Stroke Foundation brought CPR to Canada in 1976, and sets the national standards for resuscitation.
"Through the continuing work of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, I look forward to new and evolving approaches to saving lives," says Dr. Ken Buchholz, an HSF volunteer who teaches all levels of the Foundation's resuscitation programs. "With the advent of Heart&Stroke First Aid/CPR, a new era of public access to quality instruction is being ushered in which will raise the bar for health and injury education in Canada."
The first 100 Heart&Stroke First Aid/CPR instructors were trained today at a sold-out workshop which took place as part of the Heart&Stroke Resuscitation Summit.
The Summit is a unique education event presented by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, which focuses on a range of resuscitation topics including new technology to optimize bystander response, taking science to the patient and post-resuscitation care. Presenters include Canadian and international experts and ILCOR members.
Learn more at heartandstroke.ca/heroes.
About the Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke, reducing their impact through initiatives to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen. Heartandstroke.ca
SOURCE: Heart and Stroke Foundation
Holly Roy, T: 780-991-2323, Email: [email protected]
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