Finding More Ways to Bridge the Bystander Gap: The Until Help Arrives Training Program

What’s unique about Until Help Arrives is that it represents a formalized effort to provide the essential topics we want bystanders to know for a multiple of emergencies. The hope is that if someone takes it for one emergency, such as cardiac arrest, they will also be prepared to use it for another such as choking or severe bleeding. It leverages the expertise of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the reach of the American Red Cross.

Bystander care continues to play an essential role in providing immediate life sustaining interventions in a variety of emergencies from cardiac arrest to overdose to life-threatening bleeding. While much progress has been made in the development and delivery of single topic-based educational content, opportunities still exist to provide brief training on all these topics. The American Red Cross and the American College of Emergency Physicians have collaborated to assemble essential topics for bystander care into a concise, encapsulated training program. This course is designed for members of the community who wish to have exposure to the essential knowledge needed to provide care until formal responders arrive.