Newsroom

In an effort to reduce the number of people who die needlessly from sudden cardiac arrest each year, NewYork-Presbyterian and the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute have launched the #HandsOnlyCPR campaign, an ambitious community awareness, education and activation effort with a simple, but powerful message: Everyone Can Save a Life.

Led by Dr. Holly Andersen, an attending cardiologist and director of education and outreach at the Perelman Heart Institute and a clinical associate professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Weill Cornell Medicine, the campaign encourages all New Yorkers to take just one minute to learn the three basic steps of life-saving Hands Only CPR – Check, Call, Compress ­-- and get others to join the Hands Only CPR movement. The campaign kicked off on June 1 during National CPR Awareness Week.

Cardiac arrest kills one person every two minutes. Without CPR, 92 percent of people experiencing cardiac arrest die before making it to the hospital. Every minute without CPR decreases the survival rate by ten percent. Studies show that compression only CPR is as beneficial as traditional CPR.  The #HandsOnlyCPR campaign was created to get the word out and reinforce the efficacy of the hands only method to save lives. 

New Yorkers can help improve these numbers by watching a compelling video created for the #HandsOnlyCPR campaign, which explains how simple it is for anyone to perform Hands Only CPR:  

• First, CHECK to see if the person is breathing; then quickly,
• CALL 9-1-1 for help; and immediately
• Begin chest COMPRESSIONS.

The video can be found on the WWW.HANDSONLY.NYC web site, on Facebook (Hands Only CPR) and Instagram (@HandsOnlyCPR).
The campaign encourages everyone to join the crusade against unnecessary cardiac arrest deaths by spreading the lifesaving #HandsOnlyCPR message throughout the five boroughs, across the country and around the world on social media. Participants can share the #HandsOnlyCPR educational video on Facebook with the caption “#ICanSaveALife with #HandsOnlyCPR” and tag @Hands Only CPR, and post photos of themselves doing the #HandsOnlyCPR pose -- hands clasped and extended outward -- on Instagram and Facebook.

“Each and every one of us has the power to save a friend, a family member or even a total stranger experiencing life-or-death cardiac arrest. We’ve made it easy --  take just one minute out of your hectic New York life, learn the three steps of Hands Only CPR, and you are ready to help someone in distress,” said Dr. Andersen. “We hope the #HandsOnlyCPR campaign, as it spreads from New York across the country, will prevent thousands of needless deaths each year by empowering everyone to take action.”

Other elements of the #HandsOnlyCPR campaign include powerful testimonials on the NewYork-Presbyterian YouTube channel from cardiac arrest survivors and those who saved their lives by performing CPR, a Spotify playlist, community education efforts, special events and PSAs.

For more information and to get started today as a #HandsOnlyCPR advocate, visit WWW.HANDSONLY.NYC.

NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare delivery systems, whose organizations are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care and service to patients in the New York metropolitan area, nationally, and throughout the globe. In collaboration with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian is consistently recognized as a leader in medical education, groundbreaking research and innovative, patient-centered clinical care.
NewYork-Presbyterian has four major divisions:

• NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is ranked #1 in the New York metropolitan area by U.S. News and World Report and repeatedly named to the Honor Roll of “America’s Best Hospitals.”
• NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Hospital Network comprises hospitals and other facilities in the New York metropolitan region.
• NewYork-Presbyterian Physician Services, which connects medical experts with patients in their communities.
• NewYork-Presbyterian Community and Population Health, encompassing ambulatory care network sites and community healthcare initiatives, including NewYork Quality Care, the Accountable Care Organization jointly established by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia.

For more information, visit www.nyp.org and find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The Perelman Family Foundation

Inspired by the dedication and vision of its Chairman and CEO Ronald O. Perelman and his family, the Perelman Family Foundation is firmly committed to philanthropy, focusing on health, education and through the arts.  The Perelman Family Foundation supports the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, an internationally-recognized center offering comprehensive, innovative, and world-class cardiovascular care and heart health education.