Understanding Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death that often occurs without warning. It can affect people of any age, background, or level of health, and survival depends on immediate action.

Prepared communities save lives. When bystanders recognize an emergency, begin CPR, and use an AED, outcomes can change dramatically. Education and access make the difference.

Calah Cares exists to help communities understand, prepare for, and respond confidently to cardiac emergencies.

Person lying on red and green mat on a gray carpeted floor, wearing blue jeans and a white shirt, with braided black hair, resting their head on a mannequin head.

What Is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Sudden Cardiac Arrest occurs when the heart unexpectedly stops beating effectively due to an electrical malfunction. Blood flow to the brain and vital organs stops immediately.

It is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack involves blocked blood flow, while cardiac arrest is an electrical failure of the heart. Without rapid response, loss of consciousness occurs within seconds and survival chances decrease quickly.

Immediate CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can restore a life-sustaining rhythm and dramatically increase survival.

Illustration of a human torso showing the heart with a lightning bolt symbol and an infographic about sudden cardiac arrest, noting heart stopping suddenly and electrical failure disrupting heart function.

FAST FACTS

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death, but immediate response can dramatically improve survival.

350,000+ Cardiac Arrests Each Year

A clipboard displaying a graph with an upward trend, a bar chart, and icons of people with a red heart symbol representing health or wellness.

More than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the United States. Most happen in homes, churches, schools, and community spaces.

Survival Is Time Dependent

A countdown timer showing approximately 15 minutes, with an exclamation mark icon, and the text 'Minutes Matter. Survival depends on a timely response.'

Brain injury can begin within 4-6 minutes without oxygen. Survival decreases by approximately 7-10% for every minute without CPR or defibrillation

Immediate Action Improves Outcomes

Digital illustration of an AED, an Automated External Defibrillator, featuring a portable device with a heart and lightning bolt symbol on the screen and attached pads with heart and heartbeat symbols, on a light background.

Early CPR and access to an AED significantly increase survival rates. Prepared bystanders are often the critical link before emergency services arrive.

Statistics based on data from the American Heart Association and national cardiac arrest registries.

How Calah Cares Responds

We turn awareness into action by equipping underserved communities across Travis County with the tools, training, and trusted partnerships needed to respond to cardiac emergencies confidently.

A group of people attending a CPR training class, with a instructor demonstrating CPR on a mannequin. There is a banner in the background with the logo 'Calah Cares' and information about building healthier communities, as well as a sign with hands-only CPR instructions.

Education & Awareness

Most people who experience Sudden Cardiac Arrest are not in a hospital. They are in a church, a school, a barber shop, a community center, or a family gathering. And in that moment, the most important responder is not a paramedic. It is the person already in the room.

Calah Cares delivers accessible SCA education directly to underserved residents across Travis County, helping community members understand what cardiac arrest looks like, why it happens, and what to do in the critical minutes before EMS arrives. We train everyday people to recognize the signs, call for help, start CPR, and use an AED without hesitation.

Bystander CPR can double or triple the chance of survival. And every community deserves people who are ready to act.

CPR & AED Preparedness

Community Partnerships

Three people posing inside a church. A woman in the middle and two men on either side. The man on the left wears glasses and a black shirt with a badge. The woman in the middle wears a white T-shirt with a red heart. The man on the right wears a striped shirt with gold chains. The background includes church banners, a speaker, and a sign that reads 'The North' with a mission statement related to faith and community.

Calah with an ATCEMS community health partner

Cardiac emergencies can happen anywhere people gather. Calah Cares builds partnerships with community spaces of all kinds, including churches, schools, recreation centers, barber shops, community centers, and beyond, to strengthen emergency readiness where it matters most. Through planning, advocacy, and hands-on support, we meet communities where they are across Travis County.