American Heart Association Brings Life-Saving CPR Training to Super Bowl LIX

The American Heart Association (AHA) is bringing potentially life-saving CPR education to football fans at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. From February 5-8, qualified trainers at the Association's Nation of Lifesavers Mobile CPR Unit will offer free Hands-Only CPR instruction to attendees at the NFL's Super Bowl Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The initiative represents a crucial step in the AHA's mission to double survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by 2030. Current data shows that nine out of ten people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, partly because they don't receive immediate CPR more than half the time. However, immediate CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival.

This marks the fifth appearance of the AHA's Mobile CPR Unit at a major NFL event, building on previous successful training sessions at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas and other NFL events. The program's significance is amplified by statistics showing that nearly three out of four cardiac arrests outside hospitals occur in homes, highlighting the critical importance of widespread CPR knowledge.

The initiative is part of an expanded collaboration between the NFL and AHA, which includes the participation of NFL player ambassadors led by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, a cardiac arrest survivor. The partnership has already engaged more than half of NFL teams in CPR education efforts, reaching players, staff, youth coaches, and fan families across the country.

Beyond the Super Bowl Experience, the AHA will extend its CPR education to the NFL PLAY 60 Kids Day, where 1,000 children will learn this life-saving skill. The organization is also incorporating its HBCU Scholars Program into the event, addressing cardiac arrest awareness in Black communities as part of Black History Month initiatives.