Pictured left to right: Jaclyn McGlone, Survivor; Dr. Rich Snyder, Independence Blue Cross EVP of Facilitated Health Networks; Dr. Benjamin Abella, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Vice Chair for Research in the Dept of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Don Smolenski, Philadelphia Eagles President; Anthony Radico, Survivor
Independence Blue Cross (Independence) is teaming up with the Philadelphia Eagles and Penn Medicine to raise awareness and train people how to perform life-saving Hands-Only CPR. At an event held August 22 at the Eagles’ NovaCare Complex training facility, leaders from the three organizations announced the relaunch of Penn Medicine’s Mobile CPR Project. Independence is sponsoring the initiative, which travels around the city teaching the proper way to perform CPR.
In 2016, the Mobile Project was onsite at the launch event of CPR Ready, a campaign designed to increase the number of people in the region who are qualified and willing to perform bystander Hands-Only CPR. Independence was one of the founders of that initiative, along with many of the region’s top health institutions and public services, including the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Penn Medicine, Philadelphia Fire Department, and the School District of Philadelphia. Between 2016 and 2020 in Philadelphia, the rate of bystander CPR intervention increased from 14 percent to 22 percent.
COVID-19 restrictions temporarily halted the Mobile Project’s operations, however, it is now geared up to cover even more ground as part of its mission to reach vulnerable communities that have historically not had access to CPR training.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening emergency that can quickly become fatal if not treated immediately. It occurs when the heart unexpectedly stops beating and blood stops flowing to the rest of the body. In the U.S., more than 350,00 people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest.
