In celebration of World Heart Day, Sept. 29, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County is promoting heart health by hosting Hands-Only™ CPR training. World Heart Day is an annual event created by the World Heart Foundation to remind everyone that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading causes of death. The theme for 2015 is creating heart healthy environments.

Media members are invited to a photo opportunity with DOH-Orange Health Officer, Dr. Kevin Sherin, while he takes the Hands-Only™ CPR training and encourages others to do the same.

Media photo opportunity:

When: Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Time: 1:30pm

Where: Central Health Center 832 West Central Blvd. Orlando, FL 32805

“World Heart Day has given us yet another opportunity to collaborate with other community organizations to teach the community how to help save lives through hands only CPR. Everyone can benefit by learning Hands-Only™ CPR,” said Dr. Kevin Sherin, director and health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County.

In Florida, 23.4 percent of adults age 65 and older reported in 2013 that they had been told by a healthcare provider that they had a heart attack, coronary heart disease or stroke. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in Florida in 2014 and is the number one killer of women, taking more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

“There can be no better confidence builder than knowing that, if put into a life or death situation, you can save a life. Take a little time out of your busy life to learn how to bring back a life by learning Hands Only CPR,” said Dale L. McGough, CPR Instructor from Central Florida Medical Reserve Corp.

Hands-Only™ CPR is CPR without mouth-to-mouth breaths. It is recommended for use by people who see a teen or adult suddenly collapse in an “out-of-hospital” setting (such as at home, at work or in a park). It consists of two easy steps:

1. Call 9-1-1 (or send someone to do that); and
2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

Hands-Only™ CPR performed by a bystander has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR with mouth-to-mouth breaths in the first few minutes of sudden cardiac arrest. Watch these videos for a brief overview of Hands Only™ CPR.