For Immediate Release:

April 01, 2024

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced today it is launching the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, a campaign aimed to train residents and workers in multiple essential lifesaving skills.

This initiative includes Hands-only CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) awareness, STOP THE BLEED®, Mental Health First Aid, and Naloxone training. The goal is to equip County residents and workers with crucial lifesaving skills needed during emergencies or disasters where emergency services may be delayed.

A series of in-person and online trainings will be available for the public through Los Angeles County. For more information on the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, click here.

This new initiative comes after 506,332 Los Angeles County residents were trained in hands-only CPR in 2023.

“These new trainings will be essential investments in building prepared communities. Empowering people with a variety of lifesaving skills means they’ll be able to take action during emergencies and save lives,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “In 2023, we partnered with dozens of organizations to make sure that more than 500,000 residents and workers in LA County were successfully trained in hands-only CPR through our Heart Heroes campaign. Our hope is that, through the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, thousands of residents and workers will have an opportunity to expand their skills, since we have learned that the first individuals responding to a crisis are often family, friends, work colleagues, and neighbors.”

Public Health launched its Heart Heroes Campaign in early 2023 with the goal of training 500,000 Los Angeles County residents in hands-only CPR by December 31, 2023. The campaign successfully reached its goal by partnering with the American Heart Association and more than 100 other organizations and institutions to offer trainings at sporting events, entertainment venues, places of worship, college and school campuses, worksites, malls, and seasonal events throughout LA County communities. Expert instructors from Public Health and partner organizations offered free hands-only CPR training sessions to thousands of people at local professional and collegiate sporting events, community events, and parks.

Additionally, community members were trained to be hands-only CPR trainers for their organizations as part of the campaign.

Heart Heroes 2023 partners included:

· Volunteer Organizations:

American Heart Association

American Red Cross

Emergency Network Los Angeles (ENLA)

Medical Reserve Corps Los Angeles (MRCLA)

Salvation Army

Tri-City CERT Association

· Government Agencies:

Burbank Fire Department

City of Carson

City of Whittier

Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles

Los Angeles County (LAC) Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

LAC Beaches and Harbors

LAC Chief Executive Office (CEO) Office of Emergency Management

LAC CEO Risk Management Branch

LAC Child Support Services

LAC Department of Health Services – Emergency Medical Services Agency

LAC Department of Public Social Services

LAC Department of Public Works

LAC Department of Treasurer and Tax Collector LAC Fire Department

LAC Fire Department

LAC Internal Services Department

LAC Office of Education (LACOE)

LAC Parks and Recreation

LAC Registrar Recorder

LAC Treasurer and Tax Collector

Los Angeles Emergency Management Department

Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD)

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

The Wellness Center

· Sports Teams:

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)

Los Angeles Galaxy

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles Sparks

· Business and Entertainment Venue Partners:

Caruso

Crypto.com Arena

Hotel Association Los Angeles

Insomniac

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles Zoo

SoFi Stadium

South Coast Botanic Garden

The Music Center

Walt Disney Company

· Colleges and Universities:

Pepperdine University

Rio Hondo College

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

University of Southern California (USC)

For a full listing of the Los Angeles County Heart Heroes 2023 Partner Organizations, please see the Los Angeles County Heart Heroes Partners List posted on the website.

---

#####