June is CPR and AED Awareness Month, and the American Heart Association is meeting people where they are to provide New York City community members with resources to fight cardiovascular disease.
In 2009, Dominic Murray, an outwardly healthy 17-year-old, collapsed during a basketball game at school. No one knew how to start CPR, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) was not used until emergency responders arrived.
I began the Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation in my son Dominic’s honor, and have since worked in the community to help train over 30,000 people in CPR.
If Dominic had received immediate CPR and access to an AED, he might still be here today. Sudden cardiac death is preventable, and knowing CPR is the first step in changing the fates of the people in our communities.
Heart disease is the number one killer — it kills more people than all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease can affect everyone; it does not discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, or religion. People of color face a disproportionately higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses, and are less likely to receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in cardiac emergencies, like sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).
There are more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year, 90% of which end up being fatal. This fatality rate is often a result of failure to provide CPR.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. It is critical to know this life-saving skill, and it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
In 2021, the Dominic Murray Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act, also known as Dominic’s Law, was passed in New York. The law requires educators, coaches, parents, and students be informed about sudden cardiac arrest risks, signs, and symptoms.
Women and people of color are two communities that face a stark cardiac health deficit. A 2022 study indicated that Black and Hispanic adults are 41% less likely to receive bystander CPR in public than their White counterparts. These individuals are also more likely to face chronic diseases like high blood pressure and stroke.
Failure to give CPR can sometimes be out of fear of hurting or inappropriately touching a victim, but community members should know that every state has the “Good Samaritan” law, which protects life-saving bystanders in emergency situations.
Absence of CPR can also be a result of inaccessibility to life-saving education and resources. This is why the American Heart Association is working closely with its volunteers and community partners to ensure every New Yorker possesses the skills necessary to save a life.
In the last decade, the association has trained more than 2.3 million New Yorkers in CPR, helping to build a Nation of Lifesavers. By learning hands-only CPR, using educational resources, and advocating for change, we can improve these jarring statistics in New York City and throughout the country.
Nearly 74% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home, which increases the likelihood that the life you will need to save is someone you love. Find a CPR course near you, and visit the association’s website for more information, so you can be prepared when you need it most.
Melinda Murray-Nyack is chair of the American Heart Association New York State Advocacy Committee; advocate and volunteer with the American Heart Association; and founder and president of the Dominic A. Murray 21 Memorial Foundation, which focuses on preventing sudden cardiac arrest and death in young people.