Hartford HealthCare joins the American Heart Association in engaging residents to create a community of lifesavers with a Hands-Only CPR Mobile Kiosk
According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die, and more than half don’t receive bystander CPR. CPR — especially if performed immediately — can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To help improve cardiac arrest outcomes in Greater Hartford, Faisal Hasan, M.D., Co-Physician-in-Chief of Hartford HealthCare’s Heart & Vascular Institute will chair the 2026 Greater Hartford Heart Walk, leading a year-round effort to rally companies and community members to raise critical funds and expand CPR education.
Heart Walk is the largest community-facing initiative of the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. Through fundraising, community education and corporate engagement, Heart Walk aims to make CPR education and training more accessible, fund vital research and drive equitable health for all. Under Dr. Hasan’s leadership, top executives in Hartford will work to recruit other organizations to join the local Heart Walk campaign and help build a community of lifesavers.
“Sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere — at home, at work, or in our communities — and survival often depends on whether someone nearby is ready and trained to act,” said Dr. Hasan. “At Hartford HealthCare, we have seen firsthand how immediate CPR can mean the difference between life and death. Our goal is simple but powerful: ensure every family, every workplace, and every community has someone confident and prepared to step in during a cardiac emergency. By supporting the Heart Walk, employers are helping build a community that is not only healthier, but ready to save lives.”
According to the Heart Association’s 2024 CPR Perceptions Survey, 39% of people — or approximately 103 million U.S. adults — now feel “extremely confident” or “very confident” they could correctly perform CPR, up from 33% in 2021. That is roughly 17.7 million more adults who are highly confident in their ability to conduct CPR, yet 61% still lack high confidence to act in a cardiac emergency.
“While we’re extremely proud of the progress that’s been made over the last several years, our work is far from over,” said Dr. Hardik Amin, Connecticut Board President, stroke neurologist, Hartford HealthCare. “Faisal’s commitment to making Connecticut a safer, stronger community is proof they are the right person for the role. We are looking forward to seeing incredible results from this year’s Heart Walk campaign and hope the community will join us in making it a success.”
Hartford HealthCare renews its commitment to saving lives with a Hands-Only CPR Mobile Kiosk.
As the Live Fierce. Take Action. sponsor, Hartford HealthCare continues to move the mobile kiosk throughout Connecticut, training residents to learn the life-saving skill of Hands-Only CPR. The CPR Mobile Kiosk is the only one of eight in the United States and the first in New England.
The kiosk features a touch screen with a video program that provides a brief introduction and overview of Hands-Only CPR, followed by a practice session and a 30-second test. With the help of a practice mannequin, the kiosk gives feedback about the depth and rate of compressions and proper hand placement ― factors that influence the effectiveness of CPR.
Over the past three years, Hartford HealthCare’s Live Fierce. Take Action. sponsorship brought the kiosk throughout Connecticut training to nearly 10,000 residents. The kiosk could be found at local events such as the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, the Basketball Pro-Am summer basketball tournament at St. Joseph’s University, family destinations such as Mystic Aquarium and other Connecticut universities and community organizations. The Kiosk will continue to travel throughout Connecticut for the next three years.
“We are deeply grateful for Dr. Hasan’s leadership and for Hartford HealthCare’s generous renewed commitment,” said Adria Giordano, Executive Director of the American Heart Association in Connecticut. “Hartford HealthCare’s support of the Greater Hartford Heart Walk strengthens our mission to fight heart disease and stroke. Their continued investment in the mobile kiosk ensures we can teach Hands‑Only CPR year‑round and help build a true nation of lifesavers right here in Connecticut. Lifesaving CPR training is at the heart of our work— and Hartford HealthCare is helping us make an even greater impact across the state.”
The Heart Association is a global leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and the official publisher of CPR guidelines. Through the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, the Association is working to ensure that more people are ready to perform CPR and be a vital link in the chain of survival, supporting its goal of doubling the survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by 2030.
The Greater Hartford Heart Walk will take place on Saturday, August 29, 2026 at Bushnell Park. An estimated 1,000 participants are expected to walk in celebration of local survivors and the lifesaving progress made in Connecticut. Companies and individuals interested in participating in the Heart Walk can contact Association Development Director Genille Gordon at Genille.gordon@heart.org. Learn more and register at www.hartfordheartwalk.org.