When someone has a cardiac emergency, they often only have a few minutes before the brain and essential organs start to shut down. After placing a call to first responders, it could take them anywhere from five to 15 minutes to arrive, depending on the location. After one minute without blood circulation, it’s difficult to bring someone back. After five minutes have passed, the brain starts to die, making resuscitation nearly impossible.

However, if someone trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) springs into action while waiting for emergency medical services to arrive, the patient has a much better chance of survival.

You never know when you may need to save a life with CPR so it’s important to be ready for when that time comes. Fortunately, business and organization leaders in the Fayetteville area can make their workplaces safer by requesting a free hands-only CPR training from a registered nurse who specializes in cardiac health. 

Available to anyone in the community, the hands-only CPR class is an approximately one-hour class taught at a site of your choosing. The class conveys essential skills to keep someone’s blood circulating while waiting for medical assistance. These essential skills include calling for help first and applying the right amount of pressure in the right spot to keep blood flowing and oxygen circulating to the brain..

If you are a business or organizational leader, please reach out to Benjamin Beason, RN-BSN, and his team of nurses that lead the free CPR classes. Instructors have done the CPR training at a variety of Fayetteville establishments, including private companies, churches, schools, yoga studios, and more, teaching life-saving resuscitation skills to anywhere from two to 200 people at a time.

While there is no official certification earned, like in a four-hour, fee-based CPR class, knowing correct hands-only CPR technique in an emergency can make the difference between a full recovery and brain death in a matter of minutes.

The classes are designed to be fun and memorable so that participants feel prepared to overcome the panic commonly felt in an emergency situation and ready to save a life by taking two to three key steps. The instruction is even appropriate for children, who can use the same skills to keep someone’s blood pumping in an emergency situation when no other adults are present.

Cape Fear Valley has set a goal to teach hands-only CPR to 300,000 people in the county and it wants you to be part of this life-saving initiative. Whether you schedule your training during February Heart Health Awareness Month or after, you can rest assured that your employees and associates will learn how to respond in a medical crisis and potentially save someone’s life and preserve their brain function while they’re waiting for transport to a hospital.

Keep in mind that Cape Fear Valley Medical Center is one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care and Coronary Intervention, according to a national study by Healthgrades. Feel confident in putting your heart in the Fayetteville area’s most capable cardiac hands.

Benjamin, who has brought several people back with quick-thinking and CPR skills, stresses that learning to save someone’s life with Cape Fear Valley Health’s CPR training is 100 percent free, but not knowing what to do when someone collapses could cost everything. Contact him today at BBEAS@capefearvalley.com to schedule your free class!