MORE than 9,000 people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in NSW every year.
Cardiac arrest is often unexpected, and for every minute a patient doesn’t get chest compressions, also called Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), their chances of survival fall by 7-10 per cent.
That’s why NSW Ambulance has partnered with GoodSAM, a program that helps save lives by empowering members of the community to respond quickly when someone nearby goes into cardiac arrest.
GoodSAM is integrated with the NSW Ambulance Triple Zero (000) dispatch system and connects volunteers to patients in the critical first minutes of a cardiac arrest until paramedics arrive.
The GoodSAM team joined the Giants Netball team at their emergency services round game on May 11.
Under the NSW Ambulance tent at the game, paramedics taught CPR while the GoodSAM team explained the app and encouraged people to join, with players Chelsea Pitman and Matisse Letherbarrow signing up.
Matisse said she was really excited to be a GoodSAM responder.
“My family has always worked in emergency services and my Dad is still a firefighter,” she said.
“I have always admired what he has done for the community and I want to be able to do the same and help where I can, whether on or off the court.
“It’s such a good program and initiative and I would encourage others to sign up if they are able to.”
Last year, a global network of 1.5 million GoodSAM volunteers helped save the life of a cardiac arrest patient on average every three minutes.
If you are willing and able to perform CPR, and are aged 18 or older, you can sign up to receive alerts when someone needs help.
To find out more: ambulance.nsw.gov.au/goodsam