The McGill World Restart a Heart (WRAH) Campaign was created with the purpose of helping Canadians survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. There are an estimated 40,000 sudden cardiac arrests that occur outside of the hospital every year in Canada alone and the survival rate in communities is only 10%.
Most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in homes and public settings and are witnessed by a loved one, like a family member, friend, or colleague. Increasing the odds of survival from cardiac arrest therefore becomes the responsibility of all individuals.
The McGill World Restart a Heart Campaign seeks to encourage bystanders to take immediate action by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Today, bystander CPR rates are only 41% and AED use remains dismally low at 2-3%. By performing bystander CPR and using an AED in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest, the chance of survival triples.
The ability to prevent permanent damage and death from sudden cardiac arrest is not unique to the healthcare professional. Our McGill WRAH team strives to empower Canadians from all backgrounds with the knowledge, skills and courage to engage in bystander CPR. Through education, training and awareness, we hope to prevent fatal and debilitating outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest.
Since its inception in 2019, McGill WRAH has brought together students, medical residents, faculty members, health care professionals and administration from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, the Steinberg Centre for Simulation and Interactive Learning and the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Health Centre in an attempt to encourage bystanders to intervene and save a life. Joining our efforts are the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Jacques de Champlain Foundation which have provided guidance, support, and exceptional expertise.
With each year, our initiative continues to grow and attain new heights. This year, we have begun to expand our initiative across Canada. We have partnered with Sherbrooke University to make McGill WRAH a pan-Canadian sudden cardiac arrest awareness initiative.
To date, we’ve successfully reached over one million people across the world. Through our social media awareness and education efforts, virtual live events, on-campus CPR training booths, impactful video series, high-profile ambassadors, bystander resuscitation eModule and patient education guide, the McGill WRAH Campaign has become Canada’s largest sudden cardiac arrest awareness initiative.
This year, we encourage you to join our team in building a resuscitation empowered community and making CPR training accessible to all. As cardiac arrest most often affects the people we love and cherish, we hope to encourage you to learn CPR and AED use, and one day step forward and save a life.
Welcome to the McGill World Restart a Heart 2024 Campaign.
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