b'20 YEARS OF CARESAn overarching goal of CARES has always beenand continues to beidentifying and addressing the vast differences in the response and treatment of OHCA. There are not only great differences between communities, but there are also great differences within communities.Bryan McNally, Executive Director of CARESA 2016 study by Girotra et al., using CARES data, revealed striking regional variation in OHCA survival across the country. Some counties reported survival rates more than twice as high as otherseven after adjusting for patient and event characteristics. These differences were linked to variations in EMS response times, bystander CPR rates, public access to defibrillation, and hospital care, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.Montgomery County Hospital District (TX) teams ready to respondanytime, anywhere.In a large city, you might find areas with both low rates of bystander CPR and high rates of cardiac arrest that would benefit most from targeted training and quality improvement. With our software advancements, CARES plans to share neighborhood-level maps of key metrics such as incidence, bystander-CPR rates, bystander-AED rates in public locations, and overdose-related arrest rates to help communities apply a data driven approach to quality improvement activities. Bryan McNally, Executive Director of CARESTargeted strategies may include expanding CPR training, increasing access to AEDs, reducing risk factors, or investing more resources in underperforming areas. CARES role in data collection is key to identifying where these opportunities exist, understanding their causes, and supporting local partners in developing targeted quality improvement efforts. CARES Contributor Highlight: Montana (MT)Montana has participated in CARES since 2016. Initially, only a handful of agencies were included, but by 2024, 100% of the states population was represented. EMS agencies began using CARES data to improve outcomesfocusing on bystander CPR and telephone-CPR (T-CPR)while hospitals used it to guide survivability metrics.With support from the Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Montana EMS & Trauma Systems office has led statewide initiatives including high-performance CPR training, AED distribution, and ECG transmission education. In 2024, Montana became the first state to implement automated, statewide CARES reporting. The next step is engaging 911 centers through the CARES EMS teams across Montana are using CARES data to drive system-wide improvements in response and survivability. dispatch module to strengthen T-CPR delivery.22'