Celebrating CPR Month with a Rescue a Day: ACT High School CPR Program is Saving Lives

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 1, 2011) - November is CPR month and rescuers from across Canada are being recognized by the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation. ACT will be highlighting one rescue every day through Facebook (www.facebook.com/theactfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/actfoundation).

Canada is a leader in high school CPR with over 1.8 million youth trained and an additional 300,000 trained each year. The ACT Foundation is the organization that is establishing the CPR program in all high schools across the country so all students will learn CPR for free as part of their education. ACT has donated 40,000 durable mannequins to over 1,600 high schools. More than 4,500 teachers have been trained as CPR Instructors for their students.

Many lives are being saved and youth are putting their skills to use in the face of emergencies.

Tanner Roberton was 17 years old when his boss, Bob Frech, collapsed while shoveling snow. "After he fell he lay there and was just staring blankly," recalls Tanner. "I thought he was gone."

But Tanner knew how to react. Using the CPR skills he learned through the ACT High School CPR Program, he saved Bob's life.

Early CPR, combined with early defibrillation can increase survival rates for cardiac arrest victims by up to 75%, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Call to action:

• Get involved. Contact us to see if your local high school needs the program.
• Learn CPR.

To learn more visit www.actfoundation.ca

About the ACT Foundation

The ACT Foundation is the national charitable organization dedicated to establishing CPR as a mandatory program in every Canadian high school. ACT's health partners who are committed to bringing the program to all high schools are AstraZeneca Canada, Pfizer Canada and Sanofi.