As Cal State Fullerton’s comprehensive student wellness program, TitanHEALTH provides medical care, health education, counseling and other services to the university’s student population.
TitanHEALTH also ensures student wellbeing through partnerships such as Basic Needs Services and the ASI food pantry, which help students experiencing unforeseen hardships resulting in housing, food and financial insecurities.
Recently, TitanHEALTH added another layer of support for students, one that can save lives.
Through a partnership with the American Heart Association and Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, a mobile Hands-Only CPR training kiosk has been set up in the Titan Student Union, in the breezeway, next to the alumni lounge.
With officials from Associated Students Inc., the American Heart Association and Edwards Life Sciences present, an unveiling ceremony was held Oct.1 at the Titan Student Union.
The kiosk is designed to reduce fear and hesitation of performing CPR and is expected to reach over 49,000 students, faculty and visitors before it relocates in January.
“This hands-on kiosk empowers our students and our community members to save lives,” said Vincint Vigil, dean of students and vice president of student affairs. “Just as our academic programs prepare students for the future and sustain them today, CPR training equips them to act in case of an emergency. So, thank you, Edwards Life Sciences, for gifting us the ability to save lives within Orange County, but also here at Cal State Fullerton.”
The mobile kiosk features a specially designed rubber torso and a touch screen with a video program that provides a brief introduction and overview of hands-only CPR.
Users can then take a practice session and a 30-second test session.
As users practice the hands-only technique, the screen gives feedback in real time about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement — factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR — and then presents a final assessment on how well the user performed the procedure.
“The kiosk is more than a piece of equipment,” said Mahak Ahmad, vice chair of the ASI board of directors. “It is a life-saving resource.”
TitanMED Services (Photo courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)
According to the American Heart Association, more than 30 hands-only CPR training kiosks are in locations throughout the country, relocating between high-traffic public spaces like hospitals, campuses and community centers, making CPR training more accessible to diverse populations.
“One stat that I find absolutely extraordinary is that women and minorities are actually less likely to get CPR than men,” said Tania Saison, senior vice president, chief compliance officer, and associate general counsel for Edwards Life Science. “This is a disparity that I hope we can also change through regular education on CPR. I think it’s very important for women, especially, to be aware of this. It’s a cause that resonates very, very near and dear to my heart.”
The American Heart Association first introduced hands-only CPR as a recommended method for bystanders helping adults who suffer a cardiac arrest in 2008.
Previously, multiple scientific studies performed by medical professionals revealed that bystanders were hesitant to perform CPR due to fear of doing it incorrectly or discomfort with mouth-to-mouth breathing.
The American Heart Association has a goal of at least one person in every household knowing hands-only CPR by 2030, said Savannah Mlot, executive director for the Orange County Inland Empire Coachella Valley chapter of the American Heart Association.
“While we often measure life in years, when it comes to cardiac arrest, it’s literally seconds,” Mlot said. “In the time that it will take for us to dedicate this new kiosk, 45 people will have experienced a life-threatening cardiac event, and the majority of those will have been outside of the hospital. And in less than five minutes, this kiosk will equip each user with the lifesaving skills of knowing hands-only CPR.”