by DETROIT — With its collaborative event with Henry Ford Health and the American Heart Association, furniture and mattress retailer Gardner-White is proving it truly has a heart for the community it serves.
The retailer is marking American Heart Month and giving back to the community along with Henry Ford Health and the American Heart by offering hands-only CPR and automated external defibrillators training sessions free to the public on Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Gardner White Hall Road store in Shelby Township.
“Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in America and directly impacts countless individuals and families in our community,” said Rachel Stewart, president of Gardner-White. “We are thrilled to partner with Henry Ford Health and the American Heart Association to not only bring awareness to this disease, but to offer the public a free opportunity to learn critical lifesaving skills.”
The retailer explained that every year, the American Heart Association estimates more than 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting, including 23,000 children. Immediate, effective CPR can double or even triple someone’s odds of surviving, and it is a skill that a child as young as 9 years old can learn.
“The chances of survival and full recovery for victims of cardiac arrest are much lower if they don’t receive bystander CPR immediately,” said Herb Aronow, medical director of Heart & Vascular Services at Henry Ford Health. “When a person’s heart stops beating, every minute counts, and knowing how to administer CPR can be the difference between a life saved or lost while waiting for emergency responders to arrive,” Aronow said.
According to Gardner-White, two Henry Ford Health CPR-certified trainers were on-site to teach attendees how to properly administer “Hand-Only” CPR techniques and demonstrate the use of AEDs that may one day help them save a life.
“We are excited to take this opportunity to equip Gardner-White employees and customers with the skill to go from bystander to lifesaver very quickly by training them in Hands Only CPR,” said Sara Hegarty, executive director of the American Heart Association of Southeast Michigan. “This is a skill that could save your loved one, friend or co-worker, as the majority of out-of-hospital
cardiac arrests will happen in the home or workplace.”
For more information, visit gardner-white.com.
