Toronto a World Model for High School CPR and Defibrillator Training

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 7, 2011) - The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation, a charitable foundation, has set up CPR and defibrillator training in all high schools in the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Twenty-six thousand (26,000) Toronto students are empowered to save lives every year by their teachers, making Toronto a model for the rest of Canada and the world.

Toronto Snapshot:

• 26,000 students trained each year
  
  
• 600 teachers trained as CPR and defibrillator instructors
  
  
• 4,000 durable mannequins donated
  
  
• 250,000 students trained to date
  
  

Last week while teaching his Grade 9 class CPR and how to use a defibrillator through the ACT High School CPR and Defibrillator Training Program, physical education teacher Sean King was called to action when a student collapsed in the school hallways. While fellow teacher, Sharon McConnell did compressions, Sean grabbed the defibrillator and together they saved the life of a 17 year old student from Silverthorn Collegiate.

The ACT Foundation is establishing CPR and defibrillator training programs in high schools across Canada. To date, over 1.8 million youth have been trained in CPR by their teachers. ACT raises funds to donate mannequins, train teachers as instructors for their students, donate manuals and resources to schools, and guide schools in program set-up.

ACT's Toronto funding partners include the Government of Ontario, The Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Toronto Foundation, and Hydro One. Supporting the Toronto program and ACT's efforts in schools across Canada are ACT's health partners, AstraZeneca Canada, Pfizer Canada and Sanofi.

To learn more about ACT and to read about the many student and teacher rescues from across Canada, visit www.actfoundation.ca.