By Emily Hache/American Red Cross

During a seminar at University of Southern California, Priya Shah learned that South Los Angeles has the highest rates of death from a lack of bystander training in CPR. Priya now saves lives in her community through the American Red Cross LA Region Hands-Only CPR Youth program. As a third-year neuroscience major at USC, Priya’s passion for medicine and community service drives her to build emergency medical preparedness in underserved areas.

Priya’s journey with the Red Cross began in high school as a member of her school's Red Cross club. From there, she joined the READYTeens program, which focuses on disaster preparedness and essential lifesaving skills, including CPR. It was her work at a public hospital that inspired her to focus her volunteer efforts on helping underserved communities. 

She realized that Hands-Only CPR, a simple yet effective technique, could save lives in these underserved areas…if more people were trained in it.

Under the mentorship of Matthew Martinez, AmeriCorps Public Health Program Manager for the Red Cross LA Region, Priya took the initiative to expand the reach of the Hands-Only CPR program. She started by training a small group of youth volunteers to teach Hand-Only CPR at community events.

CPR consists of both chest compressions and rescue breaths. Hands-Only CPR is chest compressions without any mouth-to-mouth contact, a simpler and more accessible method that is still highly effective.

Hands-Only CPR training kits include CPR Compression Practice Tools shaped as Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs), a smaller substitute for the full-sized CPR mannequins. The ERV compression tools allow for the correct chest compression depth but take up less space, making them ideal for classroom use. 

The Red Cross has funded 25 kits for the Youth Hands-Only CPR training program. Each kit includes about 40 ERVs, handouts on how to perform Hands-Only CPR, and stickers for participants who have completed the training.

By involving schools and providing resources, like these portable training kits, Priya and her team have empowered young people to take on leadership roles and spread lifesaving knowledge in their communities. The program has quickly gained momentum, and since its launch in July 2023, it has trained over 1,160 community members and 128 youth presenters.

Priya was able to expand the program throughout all five Red Cross chapters of the Los Angeles region. Her goal is to ensure that Hands-Only CPR becomes a widely recognized and practiced skill, reducing preventable deaths due to cardiac arrest. 

“This is an opportunity for young people to not only learn this lifesaving skill, but also teach it to their classmates who can then go home and teach it to their parents and their families.”

Priya has a message for young people interested in making a difference: “Anyone can be a leader in their own community. You just have to be the one to take that first step. Start small. Join your school’s Red Cross club, and if there isn’t one already, go ahead and start one!” 

Priya’s own journey is a testament to the impact that young people can have on their communities. “I thought this was something that only adults who have a job and who are experienced in the field can do, but there’s no age limit to making a difference.”

To learn more about Hands-Only CPR and CPR training, visit redcross.org/cpr.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.