The American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Football League (NFL) are partnering to expand critical emergency response training during the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The initiative focuses on teaching Hands-Only CPR to the public, addressing the alarming statistic that 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die. From Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26, the AHA's Nation of Lifesavers Mobile CPR Unit will be located at the NFL Draft Experience at Lambeau Field, offering free walk-up style CPR instruction. Participants will learn proper compression techniques that can potentially double or triple a person's chance of survival during a cardiac emergency.
The campaign was significantly inspired by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in January 2023. Hamlin, now recovered, serves as the National Ambassador for the initiative, working to inspire others to become lifesavers. Compression-only CPR is designed to be accessible to everyone, with a simple approach: call 911 if a teen or adult suddenly collapses, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest. This method can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of an emergency response.
The AHA is pursuing an ambitious goal of doubling cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030. As part of this effort, the organization is also advocating for legislation in Wisconsin to implement cardiac emergency response plans in public schools, addressing the estimated 23,000 children under 18 who experience cardiac arrest outside hospitals annually. NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson emphasized the league's commitment to expanding CPR training access. Since Hamlin's incident, the AHA has collaborated with over half of the NFL teams to provide community education opportunities, demonstrating a widespread commitment to improving emergency response preparedness.
The Nation of Lifesavers initiative represents a critical public health effort to transform bystanders into potential lifesavers, potentially making a significant difference in survival rates during cardiac emergencies. The partnership leverages the NFL's platform to reach millions of fans with life-saving education, while the AHA provides the medical expertise and training infrastructure. This collaboration addresses a significant public health gap where immediate bystander intervention can mean the difference between life and death for cardiac arrest victims. The initiative's timing during the high-profile NFL Draft ensures maximum visibility and participation, potentially training thousands of new lifesavers in a single weekend. More information about the AHA's broader efforts can be found at https://www.heart.org.
