Hydro One and ACT Foundation celebrate more than 25,000 students trained in lifesaving skills

By Lindsay Advocate

The ACT Foundation along with Doug Elmslie, Mayor of Kawartha Lakes and Janet Holt, Director of Health and Safety Field Support at Hydro One get a lesson in lifesaving from the students at I.E. Weldon Secondary School during a celebration of more than 25,000 students in the area being trained in CPR and how to use an AED through the ACT High School CPR and AED Program.

The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation joined Hydro One Inc. (Hydro One) and partners at I.E. Weldon Secondary School in Lindsay to mark the milestone of more than 25,000 Haliburton – Kawartha Lakes area students now trained through the ACT High School CPR and AED Program. This milestone reflects ACT’s ongoing commitment to equip youth with the tools and confidence to act in a cardiac emergency. It also recognizes the more than 10 per cent of participants who received the new Opioid Overdose Response Training.

“As we celebrate this milestone in Lindsay, we thank our provincial partner, Hydro One for their continued commitment,” said Sandra Clarke, executive director of ACT Foundation, in a press release. “With their support, along with ACT’s national health partners Amgen Canada and AstraZeneca Canada, and community partners, ACT will continue to instill confidence and skills in students to respond to life-threatening medical emergencies, for generations to come. This achievement is not just a number – it’s a testament to the power of education, community partnerships and youth leadership in emergency response.”

To date, more than three million students across the province have been trained through ACT’s High School CPR and AED program. Hydro One’s contribution supports ACT’s goal to deliver their new Opioid Overdose Response Training to nearly 80 per cent of high schools in Ontario by the end of 2025. The Opioid Overdose Response Training provides teachers with resources to educate students on how to recognize and respond to a suspected opioid overdose, including the use of nasal Naloxone.

“Safety comes first at Hydro One and we are proud to celebrate this incredible milestone with ACT. They continue to build connections between students and the critical lifesaving skills that will help care for their fellow community members,”said Janet Holt, director of health and safety field support, Hydro One. “Thank you to the students and teachers that supported and participated in training, and congratulations to ACT for this accomplishment and the positive impact they make locally and across the province.”

To date, more than three million students across the province have been trained through ACT’s High School CPR and AED program. Hydro One’s contribution supports ACT’s goal to deliver their new Opioid Overdose Response Training to nearly 80 per cent of high schools in Ontario by the end of 2025. The Opioid Overdose Response Training provides teachers with resources to educate students on how to recognize and respond to a suspected opioid overdose, including the use of nasal Naloxone.

ACT is a national charitable foundation dedicated to establishing CPR and AED training in Canadian high schools. ACT establishes High School CPR and AED Programs, where teachers are trained to teach students the following: how to recognize a life-threatening medical emergency; safety issues and emergency scene management; CPR and how to use an AED; and how to respond to a suspected opioid overdose, a new aspect of the program through additional funding support from Hydro One (announced in November 2022), as well as a contribution from Health Canada and ACT’s health partners, Amgen Canada and AstraZeneca Canada.

Hydro One supports ACT through its Community Investment program that focuses on building safe communities in Ontario. Established in 2000, the long-time partnership between ACT and Hydro One provides continued access to CPR, AED and now opioid-associated emergency training for teachers and students across Ontario.

“On behalf of the City, we are grateful to have these training sessions available to the youth of our community. It is imperative that we educate ourselves on how to respond to an emergency situation and I thank the program leaders for their dedication and commitment to this outstanding program. Congratulations on achieving the remarkable milestone of training more than 25,000 students and in turn making the region a safer place to live and work.” said Mayor Doug Elmslie.

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