General News
Cape Fear Valley Health will join organizations across North Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 25, to participate in CPR World Record Day, a statewide initiative focused on training thousands of people in Hands-Only CPR and improving survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest.
Cape Fear Valley Health will offer free CPR training from 9 a.m. to approximately 2 or 3 p.m. in the lobby of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Community members, patients, visitors and staff are invited to participate. The training takes only a few minutes and teaches participants how to recognize cardiac arrest, call 911 and begin chest compressions until emergency responders arrive.
Sudden cardiac arrest remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with more than 350,000 cases occurring outside hospitals each year. Immediate bystander CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. The statewide effort supports the RACE-CARS trial, led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI), which focuses on improving cardiac arrest outcomes through community preparedness and rapid response education.
Cape Fear Valley Health is partnering with health care agencies, colleges, universities and community volunteers across North Carolina in an effort to train more than 30,000 people in a single day and set a new world record for the most individuals trained in CPR within 24 hours.
“When someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest, every second matters. The actions taken by a bystander before first responders arrive can significantly increase the chance of survival,” said Benjamin Beason, Patient Care Manager at Cape Fear Valley Health. “By teaching Hands-Only CPR to as many people as possible, we are empowering our community with the confidence and skills to act in an emergency. You never know when you might be in a position to save a life.”
Hands-Only CPR involves two simple steps: calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest. Health experts emphasize that community members do not need medical training to perform CPR and that immediate action can make the difference between life and death.
“Our goal is simple: we want more people to feel prepared to step in and help during a cardiac emergency,” Beason said. “Hands-Only CPR is easy to learn and takes just minutes, but the impact can last a lifetime for someone in need and their family.”
Cape Fear Valley Health leaders say initiatives like CPR World Record Day support the organization’s broader mission to improve community health through education, prevention and access to lifesaving skills.
