b'Nationwide ExpansionOver the next five years, CARES aims to achieve our longstanding goal of expanding coverage to include all 50 states, ensuring comprehensive data collection on OHCA throughout the entire nation. By establishing a nationwide presence, CARES aims to gather comprehensive and inclusive data on cardiac arrest incidents, interventions, and outcomes across diverse populations, says Dr. Bryan McNally, CARES Executive Director. This expansion will facilitate a deeper understanding of disparities that exist in various communities, enabling locally tailored interventions to bridge the gaps.CARES currently covers 179 million people or 54% of the U.S. population. Making sure to reach that remaining 46% of Americans, McNally points out, aligns with the 2015 National Academy of Science Reports Strategies to Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival: A Time to Act recommendation to create a national cardiac arrest registry. Measurement is an essential first step in the quality improvement process to help improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival, McNally adds.CARES has a proven track record of success utilizing a train-the-trainer method for implementing initiatives at the state-level and aims to expands this approach to all 50 states. This model optimizes resource utilization, allows for rapid scalability, promotes local engagement and ownership, and establishes a sustainable framework for knowledge dissemination and feedback. When engaging with a new CARES state, the first step is the identification of a local, dedicated State Coordinator. Subsequently, this coordinator undergoes comprehensive training on CARES processes and protocols, facilitated by a CARES Regional Coordinator. After the training is successfully concluded, the local State Coordinator assumes the role of overseeing the execution of CARES data collection within their state to include recruitment and training of EMS agencies and hospitals, auditing data to ensure compliance with national data quality standards, and assisting participants with evaluating CARES data and developing improvement plans. CARES staff serve as a dedicated partner to State Coordinators, providing comprehensive support to include technical assistance, aiding in state expansion efforts, and offering tools that facilitate continued participation in the program. When states enroll in CARES, they join a robust network of communities collaborating to enhance survival from sudden cardiac arrest. Reliable and accurate data is crucial to empower state leadership, local health departments, EMS systems, healthcare systems, and researchers in developing metrics, identifying benchmarks, revising educational and training materials, and implementing best practicesareas where CARES provides invaluable support to its partners.MeasureEMS Agencies, hospitals, and dispatchAnalyzecenters enter data into CARES, allowingUsing standard CARES reports, for comprehensive measurement ofcommunities and states analyze OHCA patient care. and evaluate their OHCA data.MonitorSystem performance is tracked and observed post-implentation, comparingIdentify Areas for longitudinal data withImprovementbaseline metrics. Benchmarking against aggregate data allows EMS agencies and hospitals to identify opportunities for improvement within their system of care.Implement ChangesResuscitation Academy and CPR LifeLinks strategies are implemented locally, regionally, and nationally.18 19'