Healthy Colorado: CPR can save lives, even if you aren’t trained

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Each year, the American Heart Association reports that around 350,000 people die from cardiac arrest in the United States. Immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of survival by continuing blood flow to vital organs and the brain.

February is American Heart Month. One way to raise awareness and promote prevention is to know how to perform effective CPR. It can mean the difference between life and death. One expert says it buys time while trained help arrives.

"But even people who are certified worry in that moment," says Kimberly DiMaria, the administration director at HCA HealthOne Rocky Mountain Children's Heart Center. "There is that moment of panic, what am I to do? What if I do 30 compressions to two breaths, what if I do 17 and five? And I think an important takeaway is that every moment of CPR matters and counts. It is not about being perfect, it's about starting somewhere. So we want people to feel empowered in that moment to act fast, call for help, find an AED and get right on the chest and start CPR."

Below are places that offer training in Colorado Springs and Pueblo:

• CPR Certification Colorado Springs
• Red Cross Training
• CPR Cart
• Springs CPR Training
• Pikes Peak State College
• UCCS
• YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region
• Pueblo Community College
• CSU Pueblo
• City of Pueblo

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