A new statewide initiative aims to improve cardiac arrest outcomes among emergency response providers and hospitals. Peoria area fire department staff, 911 dispatchers and other rescue squad personnel Monday participated in a Resuscitation Academy Workshop.
The training is part of the Illinois Heart Rescue effort. Program Director Teri Campbell says health providers across the state will be invited to participate in these events.
“Our goal for our project is to more than double our cardiac arrest survival with neurologically intact outcomes. So, we’re looking at thousands and thousands of lives every year.”
Training included providing high-quality CPR with minimal interruptions in chest compressions. Campbell says another session focused on dispatcher-assisted telephone CPR.
“We’re no longer asking, ‘Do you know CPR?’ We’re now saying, ‘This is what you need to do,’ calming those people down and getting them into action. Bystander CPR can double or triple survival rates.”
Advanced Medical Transport helped train area emergency response providers. The next workshops will take place in Rockford and Chicago.