Expert: Bolstering cardiac arrest survival rates

Since Illinois Heart Rescue launched in 2012, the state’s cardiac arrest survival rate has more than doubled, and survival is almost 6% more than the national average due in part to partnerships with over 200 hospitals and emergency medical service systems, such as the Chicago Fire Department, along with broader community engagement and public training in CPR. Illinois is now a nationwide leader for equity in bystander CPR. Dr. Terry Vanden Hoek, an ILHR founder and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago, can provide context to the survival rate improvements statewide and in Chicago and the importance of learning CPR, particularly to address disparities in survival rates.