A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO RECOGNIZE February 2024 AS "american heart MONTH" IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

 

Whereas, cardiovascular disease is the world's leading cause of death and disability. More than three hundred fifty thousand people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year and only about one in ten survive; and

 

Whereas, more than twenty-three thousand children under the age of eighteen experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year in the United States and almost forty percent of these incidents are sports related; and

 

Whereas, there are effective solutions to this problem, including the awareness and education to have cardiac emergency response plans in place, CPR education, and automated external defibrillator (AED) training and accessibility; and

 

Whereas, about seventy percent of cardiac arrests that occur outside of a hospital happen at home. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person's chance of survival. Only forty-six percent of people who experience cardiac arrest receive CPR while waiting for emergency responders to arrive; and

 

Whereas, knowing how to properly perform CPR has encouraged more people to act when faced with a cardiac emergency and to save more lives from cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. We must increase the number of people who respond to cardiac arrest by calling 911, delivering high-quality CPR, and using an AED as soon as it is available; and

 

Whereas, CPR is a lifesaving skill that most people, including children as young as age nine, can learn. The American Heart Association has set a goal of doubling the survival from cardiac arrest by 2030 by turning bystanders into lifesavers, so that everyone, everywhere is prepared and empowered to become a vital link in the chain of survival; and

 

Whereas, currently, ninety percent of people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive CPR more than half of the time. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person's chance of survival; and

 

Whereas, in celebration of American Heart Month and the American Heart Association's one hundredth birthday, the American Heart Association urges every household to join the Nation of Lifesavers and learn CPR. By increasing awareness, speaking out about heart disease, and learning CPR, we can save thousands of lives each year.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize February 2024 as "American Heart Month" in South Carolina.

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