Bank7 Donates CPR Training Kit to Woodward High School

OKLAHOMA CITY, March 6, 2019 — As part of the American Heart Association’s CPR in Schools Program, Woodward High School received a CPR training kit for use on their school campus. The kit was made possible through a contribution from Bank7 to help fund AHA’s CPR in Schools program across central Oklahoma.

“Schools are integral parts of our communities and teaching life-saving CPR will help increase bystander CPR across all communities and in turn empower more people to act in an emergency and help save a life,” said Tom Travis, Bank7 President.  “Teaching students CPR before they graduate will put qualified lifesavers in the community, year after year, and we are thrilled to be part of those efforts and continue our support of the American Heart Association.”

The AHA CPR in Schools Training Kit teaches students the core skills of CPR as well as AED skills and choking relief techniques. In just 30 minutes, students can learn the skills and techniques needed to save a life. The CPR in Schools program is an important initiative in the AHA’s pursuit to increase the bystander rate of CPR training in Oklahoma.

“We would like to thank Bank7 for their generous contribution in helping fund our CPR in Schools program,” said Debbie Hite, AHA Senior Executive Director. “CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival. We are extremely excited to partner with organizations and schools to start training students in the lifesaving skill.”

More than 326,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year. About 90 percent of those victims die, often because bystanders don’t know how to start CPR or are afraid they’ll do something wrong.

Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, Oklahoma now requires CPR training prior to high school graduation. The CPR in Schools bill (HB 1378) was signed into law in May of 2014 making Oklahoma the 16th state to implement the graduation requirement. Central Oklahoma has 224 high schools with over 38,000 seniors that will be CPR-trained on an annual basis.

About American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke –  the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.