OSWEGO, NY – Community members can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation through classes being offered by Oswego Health staff members during heart month.

Each course is four hours in length and students must be present throughout the class time.

Two evening classes will be held from 5 to 9 on February 18 and 20 in the lower level conference room of the Oswego Health Services Center.

The center is adjacent to Oswego Hospital.

The third class opportunity is on February 23 in the conference room of the Fulton Medical Center.

Teaching the class will be Oswego Health staff members who are certified Basic Life Support Instructors by the American Heart Association.

During the class, participants will use a take-home kit that includes its own mannequin and DVD, so that they can in turn share what they have learned with others.

According to the AHA, anyone can learn CPR and everyone should. Sadly, 70 percent of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed.

This alarming statistic could hit close to home, because home is exactly where 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur. Put very simply: The life you save with CPR is mostly likely to be someone you love.

To register for one of the three offered classes, a form can be found at www.oswegohealth.org

There is a $20 charge for class materials.

Those with questions should call Margaret Beers, who is overseeing the classes, at 349-5712.