IMPORTANT:

Cardiovascular Institute of the South and Lafayette General Health have decided to cancel the 2020 “Be A HeartStarter” CPR training event due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. We will update this page when we can safely reschedule. For online training resources, please visit https://cpr.heart.org/ or https://youtu.be/vqfIU9CVbNI. Thank you for your interest in our “Be A HeartStarter” training event.





FREE Bystander CPR Training Event

Bystander CPR / Infant & Toddler CPR / Heimlich Maneuver / AED Instruction

The "Be a Heartstarter" Bystander CPR Training Event is returning for its 20th year on March 14th, 2020 at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, Louisiana!

Presented by Cardiovascular Institute of the South and Lafayette General Medical Center, this free event is open to anyone who wants to learn how to “Be A HeartStarter!” beginning at 9:00 a.m. The instruction will include hands-on CPR training for adult and infant/child victims, as well as how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and how to help someone who is choking and a presentation on the signs and symptoms of stroke. For participants who cannot kneel comfortably during training, training tables will be provided.

Advanced registration is encouraged. Sign up here. Each participant will receive a “Be A Heart Starter!” T-shirt, a participation certificate and more.

Dr. David Homan, Interventional Cardiologist at Cardiovascular Institute of the South and Opelousas General Medical Center, is serving as this year's Medical Director.

Seventy-five percent of all sudden cardiac arrests happen at home, and if no bystander CPR is provided, chances of survival are reduced seven to 10 percent with each minute of delay.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for you, your family, and your friends to learn bystander CPR. You could save a life!

Since this annual event began in 2000, the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest in Acadiana have increased from one-in-100 to one-in-three. Over the last two decades, nearly 20,000 Acadiana residents have been trained in bystander CPR at this community-known event. In 2016, more than 1,000 people were trained and more than 200 volunteers supported the event.