Free CPR tutorial open to the public June 2

CHICAGO - Learn the lifesaving skill of hands-only CPR in just 20 minutes this Friday, June 2, at CPR in the Park, a free and public event hosted by Northwestern Simulation and Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd.

The event is from 12:30 to 3 p.m. in Lake Shore Park, 808 N. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago. Refreshments will be provided.

“It takes 20 minutes, and you could save a life,” said Elizabeth Wylie, executive director of Northwestern Simulation and the director of operations for the department of medical education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It’s a skill everyone should have.” Northwestern Simulation is the University’s state-of-the-art facility for training medical professionals on medical simulation.

CPR in the Park was inspired by an incident last spring when five first-year Feinberg medical students saved the life of a jogger in Lake Shore Park using hands-only CPR. Hopkins last spring introduced a resolution to the Chicago City Council in recognition of the students’ acts.

“We’ve seen the public health and life-saving benefits of proper administration of CPR right here in our community,” Hopkins said. “I’m grateful these future medical professionals could intervene, and it goes to show the value of proper CPR training as a life-saving benefit to society.”

Hands-only CPR can be vital to the survival of those having a heart attack. Whether at home, at work, or in a public location, bystanders can perform hands-only CPR and may help save the life of someone suffering from cardiac arrest.

The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” will play throughout the day because its 103-beats-per-minute tempo almost perfectly matches the recommended rate of 100 chest compressions per minute in hands-only CPR.

Using mannequins and automated external defibrillator (AED) simulators, experts from Northwestern Simulation will teach attendees how to check if someone who appears to be in distress is breathing, where, how long to administer chest compressions, how to delegate calling 911 and how to use an AED.

“I’m proud to support Northwestern University and their efforts to educate the public on the public health benefits of CPR at Lake Shore Park on June 2,” Hopkins said. “When properly administered, CPR has the ability to save lives in the critical moments while medical responders are dispatched for medical emergencies.”