Media Relations

Baptist Health Hosts Project LifeSaver

January 2006 -- Heart attack is the No. 1 killer of adults in the U.S. Startlingly, more than 60 percent of those who die of heart attack do so outside a hospital.

On Feb. 18, Baptist Health, the American Heart Association (AHA) and other organizations will sponsor Project LifeSaver to give the public a free course on what to do in the event of a life-threatening emergency. To add even more urgency to the course, the AHA recently revised the guidelines for giving CPR, and many who already knew CPR don’t know the new guidelines.

Although it does not offer certification, Project LifeSaver is an annual program that teaches proper CPR techniques. These two-hour classes will be offered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Montgomery Cardiovascular Institute (MCI) auditorium on the Baptist Medical Center South campus, 2119 E. South Blvd.

Two courses will focus on adult CPR and two on infant/child CPR. Class sizes are limited, so registration is necessary. To register call 286-2718, or you can register online at www.baptistfirst.org.

Knowing CPR can save the life of a family member or a friend. The AHA says that administering CPR at the time of a cardiac emergency can double or even triple a loved one’s chances of survival.

One of Baptist Health’s own nurses, Tracy Camara, was able to help save the life of a young child in 2003.

“After completing the program you should feel comfortable doing CPR on a friend or member of your family,” said Kitty Andrews, R.N., critical care coordinator for Organizational Development at Baptist Health.

##

For more information, to arrange interviews or to cover this event, call Michelle Jones at 273-4386.