b'DATA & INNOVATIONExpansion of CARES: Increasing National FootprintAs of January 2025, CARES covers 186 million people, or approximately 56% of the U.S. population, providing vital data on OHCA incidents, interventions, and outcomes. While this extensive coverage has already provided valuable insights, the goal is to expand further and ensure that all 50 states are represented in the program. By 2027, CARES plans to recruit additional states and agencies to increase its national footprint. The program is actively working toward integrating the last 13 states that are not yet contributing data, aiming for comprehensive national representation. This expansion will enable the program to capture more diverse data, helping to identify regional opportunities to improve the overall understanding of OHCA trends across the country. Achieving full national coverage will enhance the ability to track outcomes, refine intervention strategies, and inform policy decisions aimed at saving lives and improving survival rates from cardiac arrest. CARES has integrated the NEMSIS v3.5.0 standard, enabling uniform and reliable data collection for OHCA events. This integration allows communities to benchmark patient populations, interventions, and outcomes, facilitating the identification of opportunities to improve care quality and adherence to evidence-based guidelines. Figure 7 displays the current state-level integration status, with states categorized as Completed, In Progress, On Hold, or Not Started in their transition to NEMSIS v3.5-compatible data sharing with CARES.CARES States NEMSIS 3.5 Data Integration StatusState Integration StatusCompletedIn ProgressOn HoldNot StartedFigure 7. CARES States NEMSIS v3.5 Data Integration. 58'