Booth at the N.C. State Fair Will Train Bystanders on Life-Saving CPR Basics

RALEIGH, N.C. - Visitors to this year’s North Carolina State Fair can learn how to save a life in 2-3 minutes. A booth sponsored by UNC REX Healthcare and North Carolina Heart & Vascular will provide free CPR training to fairgoers. More than 140 volunteers will teach the basics of simple, compression-only CPR – a skill that can double or triple the odds of survival for someone in sudden cardiac arrest.

WHY: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SAC) strikes about 360,000 people in the United States each year. Bystander CPR can double or triple the victims’ chances of survival. Fairgoers can visit the booth for games, prizes and the opportunity to learn this life-saving technique.

WHERE: The booth is located in spaces 37-38 in the corner of the Education Building, near Gate 12, close to the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street. The physical address is 1025 Blue Ridge Road.

WHEN: The booth will offer CPR training every day the Fair is open, Oct. 13-23.
 
WHO: More than 140 volunteers will offer training on what a bystander can do if someone’s heart suddenly stops beating. It’s a fun, interactive and easy experience – with free prizes!
 
“We need to dispel the myths and fears of bystander CPR,” said Dr. James Jollis, a cardiologist with North Carolina Heart & Vascular, one of the state’s largest cardiology practices with 15 locations across Central and Eastern North Carolina. “Simply pressing on the chest fast and hard will double the chance of surviving cardiac arrest.”


MEDIA NOTE: Reporters can learn the basics of bystander CPR, talk with experts about why it’s important and interview fairgoers who are learning bystander CPR. Please contact Alan Wolf, UNC REX Media Relations, to schedule a visit or arrange interviews: 919-218-7103 or alan.wolf@unchealth.unc.edu.