The New Jersey Student Samaritan Initiative

The High School Association of Medical Engineers & Scientists, Inc. (HAMES) just recently launched a new project in light of the New Year.

HAMES, a NJ-based nonprofit organization that exposes high school students to medical opportunities through volunteerism and community outreach, made an announcement late-December regarding “the start of a new project”, which according to Christian Ventura, the Founder of HAMES, “has never been done before”. They call it the Student Samaritan Initiative.

According to the HAMES website, the Student Samaritan Initiative has two incentives;

“Send out certified CPR Instructors to at least one high school in every county in NJ and provide free hands-on training, to spread awareness of lifesaving skills whilst combating the survival rate statistics of sudden cardiac arrest in New Jersey.

Petition the amendment of the New Jersey Assembly Bill 2072 that requires CPR training (certification not required) in all public high schools prior to graduation. This amendment would enforce that proof of CPR training must be provided to the Motor Vehicle Commission prior to the approval of a permit for a high school minor. This would allow for the stronger enforcement of CPR training amongst high school students, and stricter regulation.”

The American Heart Association reports over 350,000 Sudden Cardiac Arrests occur annually in the United States, and HAMES’ intention is to “compact these statistics in New Jersey” Ventura explains.

HAMES is asking members of the community to help out by signing the online petition to encourage the State of New Jersey to create this amendment at http://jointhefight.wearehames...

The HAMES Special Projects Committee tasked with the operations of The Student Samaritan Initiative comments; “It is our hope that with this enactment, New Jerseyans will be comforted to a high degree with the guaranteed assurance that the entire generation of new drivers have received quality training in the performance of CPR and the use of an AED.”

To learn more about the cause and to sign the petition, visit http://jointhefight.wearehames...