CPR Week 2021, August 23-28

The Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ) will observe Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Week 2021, August 23 to 28 under the theme ‘Keep Pumping’.

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Senior Manager for Health Services at the HFJ, Noelle Campbell, gave the reason for this year’s theme.

“This theme was generated as a result of recognising that in the COVID crisis that we’ve been experiencing for the past 18 months, there is a bit of hesitancy towards CPR”.

CPR is commonly known as “mouth-to-mouth resuscitation”, but the Senior Health Services Manager, who is also a registered nurse, pointed out that CPR includes much more.

“With Keep Pumping we’ve been bringing attention to the fact that hands-only CPR at first response can definitely improve the outcome of someone who is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest,” Miss Campbell said.

During the week, a series of promotional activities geared towards increasing public awareness and promoting community and bystander participation will be held. One of the major activities will be a virtual Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) Symposium on August 26, under the theme “Creating Cardiac Ready Communities”.

Miss Campbell asserted that the symposium was conceptualised to provide training and education for healthcare professionals in ECC and to encourage them to become certified or maintain certification in basic CPR and advanced cardiac life support.

“The symposium will also be focusing on increasing awareness for CPR in the general population,” she said.

The other major event for CPR Week is Friends and Family CPR Day on the 28th, which is geared towards getting persons trained in CPR. This is aimed at anyone who is caring for someone or would like to be informed on how to do the basic steps in CPR.

Miss Campbell said that throughout the week, the Foundation will be participating in numerous radio and television interviews as well as some in-house promotions at the HFJ’s Beechwood Avenue headquarters.

“We are definitely promoting the importance to the lay person of CPR and knowing the basics of CPR as well as the use of the Automated External Defibrillator (AED)” she stated.

CPR week is observed internationally, and Miss Campbell said the Foundation has been participating for more than 10 years.