Monday letters: Teach kids CPR; save a life

People who don’t know CPR could find themselves helplessly watching someone die from cardiac arrest — maybe a stranger, maybe a loved one. It’s an easy skill to learn and remember, so why don’t more of us know it?

Our legislators are considering legislation to help, by training our kids. If students are trained in CPR before they graduate from high school, our communities will have more people every year prepared to respond and save a life.

Less than a third of sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR, even though it can double or triple the odds of survival. It doesn’t even require breaths to be effective: Hands-only CPR can save a life.

In 30 minutes and for less than a buck, a student can become the person cardiac arrest victims would love to have at their side at that critical moment.

Pick up the phone and tell your legislator to join the 27 other states already doing this. Time’s a-wastin’.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Monday letters: Teach kids CPR; save a life."