From left, Gabbi Roszman, community impact director for the American Heart Association in Northeast Ohio; Linda Thomas, NP, school nurse for Salem City Schools; and Christina Dascenzo, PharmD, board member for the American Heart Association in Northeast Ohio. (Submitted photo)

SALEM –More than 350,000 people experience cardiac arrests outside of a hospital in the U.S. every year. Of those, nearly 23,000 are children, almost 40% are related to sports and nearly 20% occur in infants. Unfortunately, 90% do not survive.

The American Heart Association says learning CPR could help save the 23,000 children who experience sudden cardiac arrest each year

By calling on the everyday heroes like parents, teachers, coaches and even students who interact with children every day, the Association hopes to create an environment where every child has the best chance of survival in a cardiac emergency.

That’s why the Association, thanks to local funding from the Salem Community Foundation, placed two CPR Kits in Salem City Schools Jr/Sr. High School last week. These kits will be used for both student and staff trainings to help create a Nation of Lifesavers within the Salem community.

“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 Gabbi Roszman, community impact director for the American Heart Association in Northeast Ohio. “It’s up to all of us to make sure that our families, students and athletes are safe when it matters most.” In addition to these new kits in Salem, joining the Nation of Lifesavers–an American Heart Association initiative focused on doubling the survival rate of cariac arrest by 2030–is easier than ever with many CPR learning options available.

In the Tri-County region, future lifesavers can:

–Take an online CPR course

–Learn and practice with a CPR Anytime Kit

–Watch a 60-second video to learn Hands-Only CPR

–Find a Heartsaver† certification course near them

There are three main types of CPR: Traditional, Child and Infant and Hands-Only.

–Traditional CPR is the method that combines chest compressions 2 inches in depth at the rate of 100-120 beats per minute with two breaths.

–Infant and Child CPR is similar to traditional CPR but has some key differences. Child CPR is performed with chest compressions at the depth of two inches with one or two hands, followed by two breaths. Infant CPR is performed with chest compressions at the dept of 1 1/2 inches with two fingers, followed by two breaths and repeat.

–Hands-Only CPR is chest compression-only CPR for adults and teens. It has been shown to be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of emergency response. The two steps to save a life with Hands-Only CPR are to call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives.

When Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football in January of 2023, nearly seven out of every ten U.S. adults said they would not feel confident to act during a cardiac emergency. Based on the available data at the time, and tracking attitudes since, the Association has since seen a reported increase from 33% to 39% in bystander confidence to be able to perform any type of CPR. This equates to 17.7 million more Americans feeling confident to act in a lifesaving emergency.

If performed immediately, CPR can double or even triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. The goal of the Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative is to turn bystanders into lifesavers, so that in the face of a cardiac emergency anyone, anywhere is prepared and empowered to become a vital link in the chain of survival and provide CPR.

“Most people who suffer cardiac arrest do not receive any type of CPR because people are untrained, unaware of proper technique or just not sure what to do in that situation. The more people we reach to teach hands-only CPR the more lives we can save,” said Dr. Christina Dascenzo, board member of the American Heart Association in Northeast Ohio and volunteer co-chair of the 2026 Tri-County Heart Ball, a February gala that will celebrate the Association’s year-round efforts to break down barriers to health across the Mahoning Valley. “By using the funds raised in the Tri-County area and placing CPR kits into schools throughout our community, we are increasing the number of people we can reach. The heart ball is just one of many events that our volunteers put their time and effort toward raising funds for the Tri-County, educating our community on the mission of the American Heart Association and preventing further loss of life from cardiovascular disease.”

For more information on how to join the Nation of Lifesavers, visit heart.org/nation.