NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — A high school student is determined to change the status quo when it comes to CPR training by advocating for the use of female manikins. Ashlynn Goldstein, 18, a senior at Naperville Central High School, is working with state lawmakers to make female manikins a standard part of CPR training in Illinois high schools.
What began as a class project quickly turned into an opportunity to save the lives of girls and women. While researching gender disparity in medicine, Goldstein discovered a stark lack of female manikins used in CPR training.
“There was a study I saw where it said only 5% of the manikins that were sold on the market were female,” Goldstein explained.
According to the American Heart Association, women are 27% less likely than men to receive bystander CPR. This disparity is often due to hesitancy to follow protocol, fueled by fears of inappropriate touching, exposing the chest, or being accused of sexual assault.
“I believe that they were scared to explore and change what they were doing. They were scared it wouldn’t work,” Goldstein shared.
Determined to create change, Goldstein collaborated with her school and state representatives to propose a bill requiring both male and female manikins to be used during CPR training in all Illinois high schools.
“I really try to impress on teenagers that they have immense power that they can wield at any time,” said Seth Brady, a teacher involved in the initiative. Shelly Amato of WorldPoint, a medical supply company based in Crystal Lake, echoed this sentiment: “Wouldn’t it be great if we were all trained to save a life no matter the sex, right?”
Goldstein’s efforts caught the attention of WorldPoint, which donated eight new manikins to Naperville Central High School. The company provides male and female manikins as a package deal to promote inclusivity and realism in CPR training.
“We’re really adamant that male and female needs to be standard with every manikin,” Amato said. “We saw a need, and we wanted to meet it.”
“Anyone can do CPR on a female,” Goldstein stated confidently.
The proposed bill is currently under discussion in the Education Policy Committee, with hopes that it will soon become law and set a new standard for CPR training across the state.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/naperville-central-high-school-student-helps-submit-illinois-bill-would-require-male-female-cpr-training-schools/18732027/