Health First Free CPR Training Event Draws Thousands

Saturday, June 4, 2011

In what organizers said could be the largest-ever mass CPR lesson to be offered in Central Florida, approximately 2,000 people filled the outfield of Space Coast Stadium in Brevard County, Florida, as part of local healthcare provider Health First’s 'Operation Civilians Prepared to Respond', or 'Operation CPR'.

             The event was planned to coincide with the start of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season, as well as National CPR Week.  Health First's goal was to train as many local Space Coast residents as possible to perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) so they would be able to help in the event of a cardiac emergency.  During a hurricane or other natural disaster, first responders may not be able to respond to 9-1-1 calls as quickly as under more normal circumstances.  Health First's goal was to provide free basic CPR training to increase the public's ability to assist someone who needs it before help arrives.

              "Health First has been serving this community as a locally operated healthcare provider for 15 years," said Health First President and CEO Mike Means.  "As a long-time member of this community, Health First sees this as a responsibility to not only help residents who visit our hospitals, but everyone across the community.  As a locally-based healthcare organization, we devote 100 percent of our resources to improving the health of this community. The people we train are our own friends and neighbors," Means said.

             Participants included individuals of all ages.  Hundreds of families took advantage of the free training, working side-by-side, practicing CPR techniques on training dummies.

             As the largest healthcare provider on Florida's Space Coast, Health First has offered the free CPR training event for the past three years in June.

Health First Donates AED's

Slide Show

Florida Today video coverage

Article from Florida Today

Channel 13 News Coverage