With nearly 9 in 10 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims dying, the American Heart Association is using the National Women's Soccer League Championship Weekend to teach fans Hands-Only CPR, a skill that can double or triple survival odds. The inaugural NWSL Championship 5K presented by CVS Health, set for Nov. 21 at The Wharf in Washington, D.C., will feature a CPR experience where attendees practice compressions and learn to recognize cardiac arrest. The activation builds on a formal collaboration that has already made the NWSL the first U.S. professional sports league to offer CPR and AED training leaguewide to players, coaches and staff across all 16 clubs.
Led by Angel City FC defender and cardiac arrest survivor Savy King, player ambassadors are encouraging fans to learn Hands-Only CPR and understand AED use. The effort is part of the Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, which aims to double survival rates of cardiac arrest by the year 2030. "Most people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital depend on someone nearby to take action before medical help arrives," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. "NWSL Championship Weekend gives the American Heart Association an opportunity to help more people learn Hands-Only CPR and gain the confidence to act when every second counts."
The Association, which publishes the official CPR guidelines, has been rated by the Annenberg Public Policy Center as the most trusted public health information source after personal health care providers, with 82% of U.S. adults expressing confidence in its information. Hands-Only CPR requires just calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest. Fans can learn more at www.heart.org/nation.
Additional resources include Bystander CPR guidance and a Bystander CPR Infographic, as well as Hands-Only CPR Resources and a comparison of Hands-Only CPR vs CPR with Breaths. The Association also offers a guide on Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack and a community toolkit to reduce disparities, available in English and Spanish. A 90-second training video is available at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.
