On the 23rd anniversary of September 11, members of The Portfolio Strategy Group commemorated the day by participating in a Hands Only CPR training workshop. Observing this National Day of Service and Remembrance, we attended the session at the Westchester Country Center, where we received instruction from the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
Cardiac arrest—an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs—is a leading cause of death. Each year, more than 350,000 EMS-assessed out of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. According to the American Heart Association, about 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.
We will never forget 9/11, honoring the lives lost and affected, and the resilience of a nation forever changed.