Wright County EMS aims to teach CPR to 10 percent of county

[Herald Journal, August 16, 2010] “Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) affects 300,000 people each year, and the chances of survival are dismal,” according to Charles Lick, MD, emergency medical director for Allina Medical Transportation and Buffalo Hospital's Emergency Department.

Unless victims are provided with adequate aid in a timely fashion—ideally CPR and a shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED) in the first three to five minutes—SCA is almost always fatal. However, the average response time for paramedics is eight to 10 minutes.

Wright County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is currently working with Take Heart™ Minnesota of Wright County to teach 10 percent of Wright County residents how to do CPR. Read the story at hjblogs.com.