DOBSON — The Be Heart Smart event set for today at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service office in Dobson is an effort to train more residents to help cardiac arrest victims. According to information from The Regional Approach to Cardiovascular Emergencies (RACE) group, only one in five victims nationally last year received Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander.

According to data from RACE , cardiac arrest claimed a total of 300,000 American’s lives last year and was the third leading cause of death in the nation. Extension Agent Carmen Long said the workshop will include free training on a manual compression only form of CPR, heart health education and heart healthy snacks.

“This program was offered to us because of Forsyth Medical Center’s interest in teaching hands only CPR,” explained Long. “I believe a part of the problem is people are hesitant to provide CPR to a victim using mouth to mouth resuscitation. Hands only CPR is easier and more user-friendly. We are anxious to try it out. I haven’t been trained on this way of doing CPR but I’m looking forward to learning.”

Long said the goal of the project is to get 50 percent of residents trained in the hands only CPR. She said House Bill 837 will require successful CPR instruction be a graduation requirement beginning with the 2014-15 school year.

“Traditional CPR is really great, but this can reach so many others interested in learning how to save a life,” said Long. “You can really make a difference. This training is free and we just want folks to come out have food, fun, fellowship and learn how to be heart smart.”

She said the event is part of ongoing health efforts which have included training county employees in cardiac issues as well as diabetic awareness programs.

“All of these measures for a healthy heart depend on eating right and exercise,” added Long. “It’s all very do-able and controlling simply requires effort.”

RACE is a project seeking to establish a statewide system for providing rapid coordinated care of cardiovascular emergencies. It was established in 2003. One component of the project is incorporating quality improvement efforts in more than 119 hospitals such as Forsyth, 540 emergency medical agencies and thousands of health care professionals working in a coordinated effort to provide lifesaving care.

Initially RACE was developed to treat heart attacks and to rapidly coordinate cardiovascular emergency treatment and is also focusing on cardiac arrest that occurs out of hospital. Participants do not have to register in advance. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

Reach David Broyles at dbroyles@civitasmedia.com or 719-1952.