St John launches 3 Steps programme to help save more lives

St John launches 3 Steps programme to help save 500 lives a year

Is your local marae, sports team or social club confident in doing CPR and using an AED to save the life of someone in cardiac arrest?

As part of an effort to reduce New Zealand’s cardiac arrest toll, St John ambulance officers and tutors are volunteering their time to deliver a free 3 Steps for Life community education programme to the public.

“More than 1,200 people die every year in New Zealand after suffering a cardiac arrest. New Zealand’s cardiac arrest toll is four times the national road toll and yet it remains a silent disease in terms of public awareness,” says St John Medical Director Tony Smith.

3 Steps for Life is designed to give all New Zealanders the confidence and awareness to take action when somebody suffers a cardiac arrest by 1) Calling 111; 2) Starting CPR; and 3) Using an AED (automated external defibrillator).

St John’s last Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Report (2014/15) revealed that 64% of cardiac arrests occur at home and 19% happen in public so it’s vital that family members and bystanders take action.

Applying CPR and rapid defibrillation can increase a patient’s chances of survival by up to 40%. But for every minute without CPR or defibrillation, a patient’s chance of survival falls by 10-15%.

St John’s OHCA Report also revealed Maori are disproportionally affected with a 40% higher chance of suffering a cardiac arrest than all other ethnic groups.

As a result St John has developed a ‘Marae Cardiac Arrest programme’ using the 3 Steps for Life formula.

St John Pou Takawaenga (Maori liaison officers) are working with Maori communities and have engaged 30 marae around New Zealand to support training in CPR and access to defibrillators.

“St John is committed to enhancing Maori community health outcomes through our Te Ara Hato Hone strategy, just as building community resilience is an essential goal,” says St John Director of Community Health Services, Sarah Manley.

St John aims to deliver the free hour-long 3 Steps programme to at least 5,000 people over the next year so if your rugby, netball or hockey team, church group, local marae or any other community groups are keen, please go to the St John website 3 Steps for Life enquiry page to make a booking.

We know these three easy but vital steps can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

-ENDS-

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