The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced Monday it is launching the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, a campaign aimed to train residents and workers in multiple essential lifesaving skills.

This initiative includes Hands-only CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) awareness, STOP THE BLEED, Mental Health First Aid, and Naloxone training. The goal is to equip County residents and workers with crucial lifesaving skills needed during emergencies or disasters where emergency services may be delayed.

A series of in-person and online trainings will be available for the public through Los Angeles County. For more information on the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, click here.

This new initiative comes after 506,332 Los Angeles County residents were trained in hands-only CPR in 2023.

“These new trainings will be essential investments in building prepared communities. Empowering people with a variety of lifesaving skills means they’ll be able to take action during emergencies and save lives,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.Ed., director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “In 2023, we partnered with dozens of organizations to make sure that more than 500,000 residents and workers in L.A. County were successfully trained in hands-only CPR through our Heart Heroes campaign.  Our hope is that, through the Community Readiness Champions Initiative, thousands of residents and workers will have an opportunity to expand their skills, since we have learned that the first individuals responding to a crisis are often family, friends, work colleagues and neighbors.”

Public Health launched its Heart Heroes Campaign in early 2023 with the goal of training 500,000 Los Angeles County residents in hands-only CPR by Dec. 31, 2023. The campaign successfully reached its goal by partnering with the American Heart Association and more than 100 other organizations and institutions to offer trainings at sporting events, entertainment venues, places of worship, college and school campuses, worksites, malls, and seasonal events throughout L.A. County communities. Expert instructors from Public Health and partner organizations offered free hands-only CPR training sessions to thousands of people at local professional and collegiate sporting events, community events, and parks.

Additionally, community members were trained to be hands-only CPR trainers for their organizations as part of the campaign.

Heart Heroes 2023 partners included:

 – Volunteer Organizations:

         American Heart Association

         American Red Cross

         Emergency Network Los Angeles (ENLA)

         Medical Reserve Corps Los Angeles (MRCLA)

         Salvation Army

         Tri-City CERT Association

 – Government Agencies:

         Burbank Fire Department

         City of Carson

         City of Whittier

         Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles

         Los Angeles County (LAC) Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

         LAC Beaches and Harbors

         LAC Chief Executive Office (CEO) Office of Emergency Management

         LAC CEO Risk Management Branch

         LAC Child Support Services

         LAC Department of Health Services – Emergency Medical Services Agency

         LAC Department of Public Social Services

         LAC Department of Public Works

         LAC Department of Treasurer and Tax Collector LAC Fire Department

         LAC Fire Department

         LAC Internal Services Department

         LAC Office of Education (LACOE)

         LAC Parks and Recreation

         LAC Registrar Recorder

         LAC Treasurer and Tax Collector

         Los Angeles Emergency Management Department

         Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD)

         Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

         Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)

         The Wellness Center

 – Sports Teams:

         Los Angeles Chargers

         Los Angeles Dodgers

         Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)

         Los Angeles Galaxy

         Los Angeles Kings

         Los Angeles Lakers

         Los Angeles Rams

         Los Angeles Sparks

 – Business and Entertainment Venue Partners:

         Caruso

         Crypto.com Arena

         Hotel Association Los Angeles

         Insomniac

         Los Angeles Convention Center

         Los Angeles Zoo

         SoFi Stadium

         South Coast Botanic Garden

         The Music Center

         Walt Disney Company

 – Colleges and Universities:

         Pepperdine University

         Rio Hondo College

         University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

         University of Southern California (USC)

For a full listing of the Los Angeles County Heart Heroes 2023 Partner Organizations, please see the Los Angeles County Heart Heroes Partners List posted on the website.