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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2021
CONTACT:
media@dhs.lacounty.gov
During COVID-19, Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Urges the Community to Use Sidewalk Hands-Only CPR to Save Lives
#HandsOnlyCPR can save lives in moments of crisis and protects both parties from the risk of COVID-19 transmission
 ABOVE: LA County EMS Hands-Only CPR 2020 training video. This short video outlines the steps needed to perform Hands-Only CPR.
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) along with its partners is raising awareness on the importance of knowing Hands-Only CPR – a lifesaving technique to aid someone experiencing cardiac arrest – during the COVID-19 pandemic. CPR is typically administered using mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose for rescue breathing, which carries increased risk due to the ongoing transmission of the COVID-19 virus in the community. In order to best protect both parties during CPR, using Hands-Only can still be effective in saving a life.
This approach using Hands-Only can be performed by anyone anywhere with minimal levels of expertise. The new video from EMS released provides background information about sudden cardiac arrest and teaches how to use Hands-Only CPR to save lives.
“Seventy five percent of all cardiac arrests happen at home so the life you save with this skill could be your child, spouse, parent, or friend,” said Dipesh Patel, MD, Medical Director of the Los Angeles County Paramedic Training Program.
Hands Only CPR can triple the chances of survival for a person experiencing cardiac arrest before emergency responders arrive. The frequent chest compressions keep oxygen flowing through the body to keep the heart, brain and other vital organs alive. Many sing along to popular songs like "Stayin’ Alive" by the Bee Gees while giving compressions to help keep the correct chest rate needed for effective CPR.
To learn more, visit dhs.lacounty.gov/emergency-medical-services-agency
To learn Hands-Only CPR, visit youtu.be/jHaicno95sk and watch the instructional video and share it with the important people in your life.
About Los Angeles County Health Services
Los Angeles County Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its integrated system of 27 health centers and four hospitals - and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for over 600,000 unique patients, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual budget of over $6.2 billion. For additional information regarding DHS, please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov.
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