Hofstra student-athletes receive CPR training

NEW YORK - Nearly 400 student-athletes at Hofstra University are being empowered with the necessary tools they'll need to save lives. The college is believed to be one of the first in the nation to certify all of its athletes in CPR, Automated External Defibrillators known as AEDs and basic first aid for adults and pediatrics. 

“We're always on the field, we're always doing something doing and the coaches aren't always the medical staff isn't always there,” said senior Kristin Hallam who plays softball. “So this is something important that everyone should know and you can use it in the real world, day-to-day situations, not just in athletics.”

Since the beginning of the semester assistant athletic trainer Bobby DiMonda has been working with each team. For years, Division I coaches have been required by the NCAA to be certified in CPR and to know how to use an AED. But now as part of a department initiative Hofstra is including student-athletes in the training. 

“Knowing where our locations of our AEDs are, how to use those AEDs, the skills to do CPR when you don't have any supplies is going to vastly benefit them,” DiMonda said. 

According to the American Heart Association, nearly 45-percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims survived when bystander CPR was administered. Hofstra is hoping to have all student-athletes certified by the end of the semester.