Public Health Introduces New Community Readiness Champions Initiative; Accomplishes Heart Heroes Goal, With More Than 500,000 LA County Residents Trained in Hands-Only CPR in 2023
Community Readiness Champions Initiative Will Train Residents and Workers
in Multiple Essential Lifesaving Skills
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.
