Our Mission…
At ECHO, we build healthier, more resilient communities by equipping people with the tools and confidence to act should a sudden cardiac arrest occur. We believe free CPR training should be accessible to everyone.
Founded by pre-health students, EMTs, and CPR instructors, ECHO delivers peer-led CPR training, cardiac arrest awareness, and hands-on emergency response training. What began as a small group of students using their skills to serve their communities has grown into a state-wide network of student-led trainers.
Our Train-the-Trainer model empowers students to lead, teach, and inspire action. Through education, advocacy, and leadership, we’re redefining what it means to be a healthcare provider—starting with a simple belief: everyone should know how to save a life.
The RACE‑CARS Trial aims to improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival and has recently demonstrated that it requires more than just system-level changes. A major component depends on engaging communities directly. During the trial, counties that implemented widespread community CPR training saw promising gains in preparedness and response.
Recognizing this, we launched our nonprofit to carry the momentum forward. Inspired by the trial’s success, we continued a model rooted in student leadership and local partnerships. Our goal is to ensure that free and accessible CPR training didn’t disappear when the trial ended. Instead, it became embedded in schools, neighborhoods, and community organizations.
Where we began…
We saw firsthand how confidence could be improved by hands-on training led by local leadership. By focusing on peer-led instruction, we expanded rapidly without sacrificing quality or accessibility. Our approach mirrors the trial’s vision: community-driven, scalable, and equitable.
Our goal is to utilize evidence-based research made available through The RACE-CARS Trial to make training a permanent part of community health infrastructure. We know the need for this work is urgent, ongoing, and life-saving..
What we offer…
Free CPR Training
Our CPR training is led by your local leadership. The majority of our CPR trainers are either certified EMT’s, AHA Instructors, or passionate pre-health students.
We offer free CPR courses or low-cost certification courses.
Cardiac Arrest Drills
Think about it like a fire drill for medical emergencies. We conduct live drills, construct an AED map and coordinate with your campus dispatch, EMS, and police to make sure your campus is ready in the chance that cardiac arrest occurs.
Pre-Health Student Mentorship
When you join our network as an ECHO Champion, you will be connected to pre-health and medical students to access free resources, collaborate, and connect.
