American Heart Association and NWSL Team Up to Teach CPR at Championship 5K

The American Heart Association is teaming up with the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) to teach Hands-Only CPR to fans at the inaugural NWSL Championship 5K presented by CVS Health, taking place Nov. 21 at The Wharf in Washington, D.C. The event, part of NWSL Championship Weekend, aims to equip more people with the skills and confidence to act in a cardiac emergency, where immediate CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival. The CPR awareness activation builds on the NWSL's collaboration with the American Heart Association, which has provided CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) education to professional players, coaches, and staff across all 16 clubs, making the NWSL the first American professional sports league to offer CPR training leaguewide.

Led by Angel City FC defender and cardiac arrest survivor Savy King, player ambassadors across the league encourage fans to learn Hands-Only CPR, understand the importance of AEDs, and take charge of their heart health. "Most people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital depend on someone nearby to take action before medical help arrives," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. "NWSL Championship Weekend gives the American Heart Association an opportunity to help more people learn Hands-Only CPR and gain the confidence to act when every second counts." The CPR experience is part of the Association's comprehensive Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, which aims to double the survival rates of cardiac arrest by the year 2030.

At the 5K, fans can visit the American Heart Association CPR experience to practice Hands-Only CPR, learn how to recognize cardiac arrest, and become part of the Nation of Lifesavers movement. Hands-Only CPR is as simple as calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest. The American Heart Association, the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, education, and training, publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR and has been identified by the Annenberg Public Policy Center as the most trusted public health information source after an individual's personal health care provider. To learn more, visit www.heart.org/nation.