DALLAS, Feb. 20, 2025 — The American Heart Association, a global force devoted to changing the future of health for all, and Walgreens, one of the nation's largest community-based pharmacies, are stepping up to support the Association's Nation of Lifesavers™ movement nationwide. Walgreens will lead efforts in its stores and communities to raise awareness of CPR and drive CPR training and consumer support of the Association's lifesaving work. The Nation of Lifesavers initiative, first launched in 2023, is committed to turning a nation of bystanders into lifesavers and doubling cardiac arrest survival rates.
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the United States every year. Tragically, 90% are fatal. When someone's heart stops, immediate CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use can double or even triple their chance of surviving. Yet less than half of people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest receive the help they need from a bystander.
Walgreens is proud to announce their nationwide support of the American Heart Association's Nation of Lifesavers to change that, by accelerating and expanding the Association's CPR and AED public awareness and education efforts to millions more including Walgreens customers and team members.
"At the American Heart Association, we are working to change the future of health for everyone everywhere. The American Heart Association has set a bold goal to double the survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by the year 2030. But we know we can't do it alone – survival and recovery are dependent on immediate action," said Nancy Brown, American Heart Association chief executive officer. "By extending our reach to the millions of people who visit Walgreens, we know that we can connect with people who might be willing to step in during an emergency but lack the skills or confidence to act. Their support moves us all closer to ensuring that everyone, everywhere is prepared and empowered to perform CPR and help save a life."
Walgreens's multi-year, $15 million fundraising commitment includes a point-of-sale donation campaign to enhance the lifesaving capacity of the American Heart Association. The company will also mobilize its team members and pharmacists, customers and communities to increase CPR readiness through access, education and awareness. The initiative will include both in-store and in-community activations, as well as grassroots educational efforts, to help advance CPR preparedness and training and equip communities with tools and resources.
"We serve approximately nine million people each day. We witness firsthand the impact of sudden cardiac arrest when the tools to treat it are not immediately available," said Tim Wentworth, Walgreens Boots Alliance chief executive officer and a long-time member of the American Heart Association's CEO Roundtable. "Our expanded relationship with the American Heart Association will help ensure that Walgreens team members and customers alike have the access, knowledge, and resources to save a life in the event of a cardiac emergency."
According to new American Heart Association consumer survey data, the willingness of adults to perform CPR has increased materially since the Association began the Nation of Lifesavers movement in 2023. When Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football in January of 2023, nearly seven out of every ten U.S. adults said they would not feel confident to act during a cardiac emergency. Based on the available data at the time, and tracking attitudes since, the Association has since seen a reported increase from 33% to 39% in bystander confidence to be able to perform any type of CPR -- or 17.7 million more Americans feeling confident to act in the event of a lifesaving emergency.
"The public is clearly willing to learn when they become aware. Our goal now is to teach them how to act," said the Heart Association's Nancy Brown. "Bystander CPR rates must increase from current levels to impact the overall survival rate. And that is critical since the chances are, the life you save will be someone you love."
To learn more or find a CPR class near you, visit heart.org/nation.
