Today at Three Trails Elementary School in Independence, Mo. the American Heart Association, the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League (NFL) kicked off two programs rooted in proven American Heart Association science in advance of the 2024 NFL season kickoff. NFL PLAY 60™ supports students' mental and physical health reducing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity are key to immediate and long-term health for children. The Nation of Lifesavers™, supported by the NFL, is the Association's most recent commitment to CPR with the declaration to double survival rates of cardiac arrest by 2030.
"Engaging children in 60 minutes of play with our longstanding NFL PLAY 60 programming and making sure everyone, everywhere knows how to respond with CPR in a cardiac emergency are two examples of the ways we are working with the NFL to advance health and hope for everyone," said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. "Our collaboration with the NFL as the 2024 season kicks off demonstrates our shared commitment to physical activity, CPR education, heart health and safety."
The American Heart Association, devoted to a world of healthier lives for all and celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service, recommends that kids get a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. In advance of the 2024 season which begins on Sept. 5, as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, nearly 150 third and fourth grade students at Three Trails Elementary got a preview of the 15-minute NFL PLAY 60 Kickoff Broadcast which will air classroom across the country on Thursday, September 19 at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT. The Kickoff Fitness Break Broadcast helps students to understand the various levels of physical activity from warm up to cool down with exercises from the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. The broadcast will air in classrooms across the country on. A second NFL PLAY 60 Fitness Break will air in advance of Super Bowl LIX on Thursday, February 6, 2025. Advanced registration for both broadcasts is required.
"We're thrilled to kick off our 18th season of PLAY 60 by offering fun and engaging opportunities for youth to get moving in the Kansas City community," said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson. "Together with our partners at the American Heart Association, we're proud to support programs and resources that help ensure kids everywhere can lead a healthy lifestyle."
The American Heart Association is the global leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and publishes the official guidelines for CPR. The collaboration with the NFL is the Association's most recent demonstration of the vow to CPR education with the commitment to double survival rates of cardiac emergencies by 2030. With nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests outside of the hospital occurring in homes, knowing how to perform CPR is critically important. More than 350,000 people in the US have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest every year. If a teen or adult collapses, witnesses should immediately call emergency services and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute and a depth of approximately two inches.
That is why for the past year the National Football League Foundation and the American Heart Association collaborated to increase Hands-Only CPR Education through the in-school programs Kids Heart Challenge and American Heart Challenge. By completing the CPR learning module in school year 2023-2024, participating students and schools had a chance to be awarded Super Bowl LIX tickets or a $10,000 school physical equipment makeover.
As a part of this work, the Kansas City Chiefs offered CPR training to youth sports coaches at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in April 2024. To further the commitment to improving CPR survival rates in Kansas City, today the Chiefs donated 11 CPR in Youth Sports Kits to area schools (Three Trails Elementary, Cassell Park Elementary School, Christian Ott Elementary School, Little Blue Elementary School, Matthews Elementary School, Norfleet Elementary School, Sni-A-Bar Elementary School, St. John LaLande Elementary School, Stoney Point Elementary School, Underwood Elementary School and Voy Spears Elementary School). Upon receiving the kits, the American Heart Association provided Hands-Only CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training in a train-the-trainer format so that CPR education can extend to the school faculty, staff and coaches.
"We're thrilled to host the American Heart Association and the National Football League in the greater Kansas City area around the 2024 NFL Kickoff Game as we collectively promote healthy lifestyles as well as CPR education," Chiefs EVP and Chief Marketing Officer Lara Krug said. "By promoting active lifestyles as well as providing education and access to the necessary tools to save lives, we're contributing to the ability of our communities to look out for each other."
