Walgreens is launching a comprehensive initiative with the American Heart Association to address the critical issue of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, which claim 90% of victims before they reach medical care. The partnership focuses on increasing CPR training and public awareness through a multi-year, $15 million fundraising commitment.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals annually in the United States, with immediate CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use potentially doubling or tripling survival chances. Despite this, less than half of sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander assistance.
The Nation of Lifesavers movement, initiated in 2023, seeks to transform bystanders into potential lifesavers. Recent survey data indicates progress, with bystander confidence in performing CPR increasing from 33% to 39% - representing 17.7 million more Americans feeling prepared to act in an emergency.
Walgreens will leverage its extensive network of approximately 8,500 stores and daily interactions with nine million customers to drive this initiative. The company will implement point-of-sale donation campaigns, community education efforts, and mobilize its team members and pharmacists to increase CPR readiness.
Tim Wentworth, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO, emphasized the importance of providing access, knowledge, and resources to save lives during cardiac emergencies. Nancy Brown, American Heart Association CEO, highlighted the organization's ambitious goal of doubling out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030.
This collaborative effort represents a significant step toward improving community health preparedness and potentially saving thousands of lives through increased CPR training and awareness.
