Riverhead HS Students to receive CPR Training

On December 15th and 16th, Riverhead High School students will receive training in the “hands only” CPR method during their gym classes. The
training, sponsored by the Riverhead Central Faculty Association (RCFA), Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps (RVAC) and RiverheadLOCAL, will educate students on response to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and provide an introduction to the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

While it doesn’t provide a full CPR certification, the training offers participants the knowledge and skills to initiate CPR in an emergency while waiting for EMTs to arrive.

“We organized this for students because you never know when sudden cardiac arrest will strike,” said RCFA Treasurer and local EMT Gregory Wallace. “The more people are trained to help, the higher the likelihood for survival.”

“There are more than 900 cases of sudden cardiac arrest in Suffolk County each year,” added RVAC Training Officer Heather Bingham. “And only about a third of those patients receive bystander CPR. The goal of programs like these is to increase that number so that we can increase the survival rate for patients. It’s as simple as that.”

Although many people think of sudden cardiac arrest and a heart attack as synonymous, they are not. Heart attacks may cause muscle damage that lead to SCA, but not all SCA are caused by heart attacks. Therefore, the two are often distinguished as “the electrical” (SCA) and “the plumbing” (heart attack)

“The simple but effective techniques of CPR save lives. We are pleased to support the efforts of the RCFA in this important endeavor,” said RiverheadLOCAL Editor and Publisher Denise Civiletti.

The Riverhead Central Faculty Association is an organization of professionals dedicated to the children of the Riverhead Central School District.