Rick Case Automotive Group and American Heart Association Donate 250 CPR Anytime Kits to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Broward Health
Infant, child and adult kits were distributed
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (February 24, 2025) – In recognition of Heart Month in February, the American Heart Association (AHA) with support from Rick Case Automotive Group gifted 250 CPR Anytime Training Kits to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Broward Health.
“Our goal is to make sure that every family can go home with one of these CPR kits so they can save their child’s life if they needed to because they’ll have the equipment, tools and training right at home,” said Rita Case, President and CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group. “What inspired me are the facts that 90% of people—infants, adults, children—all ages that have a cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. If they’re administered CPR within the first few minutes, it doubles and triples the chance of survival. Up to 80% survive, so when you go from 90% passing away to 80% survival with a 30-minute training kit, I said, ‘I have to be involved in this.’”
The self-facilitated CPR Anytime Training Kits allow for learning basic lifesaving skills in about a half hour in the comfort of one’s home. Kits were recently distributed at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital to the families of hospitalized children to take home with them, so they can confidently and successfully learn to administer CPR to their children, other family members, friends or strangers anywhere, anytime.
“Learning CPR can be very intimidating, but there’s not one of us who doesn’t have someone in our families or in our lives that’s impacted by heart disease. By having a kit at home, you can practice and learn not to be intimidated,” said Caitlin Stella, CEO of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Services. “You never know when you’re going to save somebody’s life. It could be any one of us, anytime, anywhere. I want to thank Rita for being so forward thinking and open to being able to give this gift to our community.”
In support of Nation of Lifesavers, AHA’s campaign is designed to turn bystanders into lifesavers by encouraging more people to learn CPR and act in emergencies. In total, over the next three years, 750 kits, including infant, child and adult kits, will be distributed throughout Broward County hospitals and NICUs. Each year in the U.S., more than 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital and 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital.
“Thanks to the generosity of supporters like Rita Case and Rick Case Automotive Group, we are one step closer to achieving our goal of equipping communities with the tools and knowledge needed to save lives during times of emergency,” said Marisol Vera, Executive Director, American Heart Association Greater Miami/Fort Lauderdale.
Broward County’s average infant mortality rate of children under the age of one remains at five per 1,000 births and this number is higher among under-resourced populations, so it’s crucial to empower people to act quickly and effectively in critical situations. Over the years, the American Heart Association has distributed more than 2,300 CPR Anytime Kits to individuals and local organizations throughout Broward County.
Since launching the Nation of Lifesavers initiative two years ago, the American Heart Association has seen a 6% increase in bystander confidence to perform any type of CPR—from 33% to 39%. This progress is largely due to their emphasis on Hands-Only CPR.
About The Rick Case Automotive Group
Founded in 1962, the Rick Case Automotive Group has been honored by Automotive News as the National All-Star Dealer and President and CEO Rita Case was named the 2024 TIME Dealer of the Year. Rick Case Automotive Group is the nation’s largest female owned and operated automotive dealer group in America, offering Honda, Hyundai, Genesis, Ioniq, Volkswagen, Kia, Acura, Audi, Mazda, Maserati, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Honda Motorcycles and E-Z-Go golf carts. Celebrating more than 60 years in business, the Rick Case Automotive Group has 12 dealerships in South Florida and Georgia. The South Florida dealerships are known for holding national sales records, consistently ranking among the top performers in markets they serve. Rick Case Automotive Group is headquartered at 14500 W. Sunrise Blvd. in Sunrise, Florida. For more information, visit www.RickCase.com.