February 06, 2024
Provided Image/American Heart Association
A kiosk that teaches people how to do CPR is now available at the North10 community center in Hunting Park, which serves a Philadelphia community disproportionately affected by heart disease. The kiosk is from the American Heart Association.
A kiosk that allows people to practice CPR techniques on a dummy and receive real-time feedback is now in place at the North10 community center in Hunting Park.
The kiosk has a video touch screen that teaches people how to provide hands-only CPR. A practice session and 30-second test follows, with the kiosk playing "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees to keep users on rhythm.
The CPR kiosk, put in place by the American Heart Association, is being moved throughout the city every several months in hopes of boosting "awareness, education and knowledge" in communities that are disproportionately impacted by cardiovascular disease and stroke, and at an increased risk of cardiac arrest, according to Jeffrey Salvatore, the AHA's vice president of community impact for Greater Philadelphia. The kiosk previously was positioned at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The Hunting Park and East Tioga neighborhoods have a more than a 15-year gap in life expectancy compared to Center City. The lower life expectancy in these North Philly neighborhoods stems from unequal access to education, wage gaps, lack of healthy food options and other "exclusionary practices," Salvatore said.
"It's these barriers that have increased the occurrence of chronic illnesses and conditions that result in experiencing an increased risk for cardiac arrest," Salvatore said.
Heart disease – the leading cause of death in the United States – is among the risk factors for cardiac arrest. A 2021 report from Philadelphia's health department shows that it was the leading cause of death in the city, outpacing cancer by a significant margin. Premature deaths from heart disease were more common among men, with Black residents disproportionately affected.
The racial disparities in Philly mirror national trends. Heart disease – and the risk factors for it – are more common among Black people than white people. The condition also is more prevalent among Latino people and people of South Asian descent.
The CPR kiosk at North10, sponsored by Jefferson Health, is one of several in Philly. A second mobile unit, sponsored by Independence Blue Cross, was placed at the Wells Fargo Center in December. Another kiosk is set to end a three-year run at Penn Medicine's Perelman Center in University City later this month. Previously, a fourth kiosk spent three years at the Independence Visitor Center in Old City.
The kiosks at the Perelman Center and Independence Visitor Center helped train more than 23,000 people. But the mobile units have the potential to match or exceed that figure while also increasing awareness about heart disease and CPR skills in the neighborhoods most affected by heart disease, Salvatore said.
The CPR kiosk at North 10, located at 3890 N. 10th St., is accessible daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
