By Michelle Enger and Michael Even

Michelle Marquardt and Christina Lehmann spent the morning of Feb. 23 learning how to apply hands only CPR to someone in need. © 2013 Michelle Enger

In recognition of Heart Month, Sacred Heart Hospital sponsored a Hands Only CPR class at Florian Gardens on Feb. 23. More than 300 community members attended one of the three sessions where they learned what to do in an emergency situation.

Marcia Arneson, the director of the center for healthy living at Sacred Heart Hospital, said people most often do CPR for a loved one, so it is a good skill to have.

“Many times people are too afraid to get involved if somebody goes down,” Arneson said. “A lot of people don’t know exactly what to do, so we felt by bringing this to the community that we needed to bring them a skill and show them really how easy it is to just participate.”

Each group who attended the event received a Hands Only CPR kit containing a blow up mannequin to practice chest compressions and a video to walk them through the steps of Hands Only CPR.

Arneson, CPR, Heart Disease, Heart Month, Lehmann, Pendergast, Sacred Heart Community News, Features, Health