CPRParty™ (501C3) Proposes Plan To Issue Tax Credits To CPR Instructors, Aquatic, Pool & Spa Professionals

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To kick off National Heart Month Laura Metro, Founder of CPRParty™, a nonprofit 501C3 that provides free CPR awareness training, urges the public to share her compelling public letter to President Trump detailing a groundbreaking strategy to eradicate drowning & lack of CPR/AED training in the U.S. The plan details massive savings through reduced medical expenses due to drowning and lack of bystander CPR and requests tax credits for aquatic, pool and spa professionals, PFD manufacturers and CPR/AED trainers that provide residential pool upgrades to comply with International Pool & Spa Code (ISPSC). According to the CDC, every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack; drowning is the #1 killer of children ages 1 – 4 and heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in the U.S. resulting in billions in medical costs.

The total annual cost of drowning and non-fatal drowning among children ages 14 and under is approximately $6.2 billion. There are over 3,000,000 residential pools in the U.S. Most of these pools are not in compliance with ISPSC code. "If we arm pool and spa professionals with the correct tools and incentives to build new pools to code and upgrade existing pools, we will save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in medical costs," says Laura Metro, Founder of CPRParty™.

The compelling letter from Mrs. Metro (link to the letter here http://bit.ly/2j2GMfq) details her deeply personal experience when her son was the victim of a non-fatal drowning and discusses the worldwide silent epidemic of drowning. She encourages those she knows and others to share the letter on social media, with members of the media and their local and state elected officials. Find your local elected officials at USA.gov https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

"Drowning is a complex issue. We all have to work together towards sensible solutions to prevent drowning and all aquatic injuries. Educating the industry and the consumer about the ISPSC Code is an important step towards reducing drowning and aquatic injury," said Adam Katchmarchi, President of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that believes in creating increased collaborative efforts and education on water safety and drowning prevention.

Typically, medical costs for a non-fatal drowning victim are $75,000 for initial emergency room treatment. "The need for national CPR awareness training is at the tipping point. Knowing how to survive is a basic human right that many of our citizens can't afford to learn, so their children and loved ones die as a result," said Mrs. Metro. Those living in rural areas have much higher death rates than urban or suburban areas, in part due to decreased access to emergency medical care and lack of CPR training. Almost 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. If victims arrive at the hospital having had bystander CPR performed, their chances of survival can double or triple.

President Trump said in his Inauguration speech, "The time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action. Do not allow anyone to tell you it can't be done." In her letter, Mrs. Metro asks the government to provide every child born in the United States with lessons to learn to float from their six month birthday until they master the critical survival skill of swimming. Further, every American should have the right to learn the basics of CPR/AED for free. Lastly, she requests that all 50 states adopt the ISPSC code for residential pools. The following actions are suggested to achieve this goal:

1. The government can provide these services to its citizens by giving tax credits to companies and funding to nonprofits that provide free float and swim lessons and free CPR/AED awareness training.
2. In exchange for adopting the ISPSC code, the government will give pool manufacturing, pool product companies, life vest manufacturers, AED manufacturers etc. tax credits for the services provided and product upgrades to comply with the code.
3. To drive the medical costs down, medical insurance companies should enact the following measures:
   1. Provide discounts (similar to safe driving discounts given by auto insurance providers) to individual members that:
      1. Know CPR
      2. Parents whose children have mastered the survival skill of swimming.
4. Give preferred rates to companies that provide quarterly CPR/AED training to their employees.
5. Give preferred rates and discounts to individuals that teach these survival skills, many of whom are our first responders and veterans.

STATISTICS & FACTS

HEALTH CARE COSTS AND SAVINGS

• Typical medical costs for a non-fatal drowning victim can range from $75,000 for initial emergency room treatment to $180,000 a year for long-term care. The cost of a non-fatal drowning that results in brain damage can be more than $4.5 million.
• The total annual cost of drowning and non-fatal drowning among children ages 14 and under is approximately $6.2 billion. Children ages 4 and under account for $3.8 billion, or 61 percent, of these costs.
• The lack of bystander CPR substantially increases the number of patients who have unfavorable neurologic outcomes. Yasunaga and colleagues (2010) determined that the occurrence of vegetative status 1 month after a cardiac arrest was highest among patients who had not received bystander CPR (Yasunaga et al., 2010).

WATER SAFETY LAWS AND REGULATIONS

• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has developed voluntary guidelines, which include both education and labeling, to address the hazard of children drowning in five-gallon buckets.
• 16 states have adopted the ISPSC code (AZ, CA, CO, DC, GA, IL, MI, MT, NJ, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, and WY) and 51 local adoptions have enacted safety laws requiring fencing around residential swimming pools.
• Thirty-two states have enacted boating safety laws requiring children to wear PFDs at all times when on boats or near open bodies of water. These laws vary in age requirements, exemptions, and enforcement procedures.
• Recreational boats must carry one U.S. Coast Guard-approved PFD in good condition and the correct size for each person aboard. A properly sized PFD must be available, serviceable and accessible.

Source: This information was compiled by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.

About CPRParty™
CPRParty™ was started in 2012 after the near death drowning of the founder's 3-year-old son. CPRParty™ (a program of The C.L.A.Y. Foundation) is a 501C3 non-profit organization that teaches CPR in a fun and familiar format. Bring together a group of at least ten people and CPR Party™ will provide an in home one-hour CPR awareness course for you. Hosting a CPR Party™ also promotes water safety & drowning awareness and advocates for FloatFirst™ swim curriculums. CPRParty™ empowers people to save lives through prevention then emergency first response. CPRParty™ is a proud member of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA) www.thecprparty.org
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#CPRisGood4TheHeart
#notonemore

Laura Metro 
CPRParty™(a program of The CLAY Foundation 501C3)
301-802-3655
[email protected] 
@LauraMetroCPR

SOURCE CPRParty

Related Links

http://www.thecprparty.org