Local hospital and construction presidents to lead 2026 Heart Walk
(AKRON, OH) Dec. 4, 2025 — According to the American Heart Association, 9 in 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of the hospital die, and more than half don’t receive bystander CPR. CPR — especially if performed immediately — can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. To help improve cardiac arrest outcomes in Stark and Summit counties, Dr. Teri Lash-Ritter, president of the Cleveland Clinic’s south submarket – Akron General and Lodi Hospitals, and Paul Becks, president of Welty Construction, will co-chair the 2026 Northeast Ohio Heart Walk, leading a year-round effort to rally companies and community members to raise critical funds and expand CPR education.
Heart Walk is the largest community-facing initiative of the American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. Through fundraising, community education and corporate engagement, Heart Walk aims to make CPR education and training more accessible, fund vital research and drive equitable health for all. Under the leadership of Lash-Ritter and Becks, top executives in the greater Akron and Canton regions will work to recruit other organizations to join the local Heart Walk campaign and help build a community of lifesavers.
“Every second counts when someone experiences cardiac arrest,” said Dr. Lash-Ritter. “CPR training empowers ordinary people to take immediate action and truly save lives. Building a community where everyone has the confidence and skills to perform resuscitation transforms bystanders into lifesavers. This year’s Heart Walk campaign provides a powerful platform to expand that knowledge so that lifesaving action becomes second nature across our neighborhoods, schools and workplaces.”
According to the Heart Association’s 2024 CPR Perceptions Survey, 39% of people — or approximately 103 million U.S. adults — now feel “extremely confident” or “very confident” they could correctly perform CPR, up from 33% in 2021. That’s roughly 17.7 million more adults who are highly confident in their ability to conduct CPR, yet 61% still lack high confidence to act in a cardiac emergency.
“Several members of our Welty team never imagined they would need to use the CPR training they received—until the moment someone went into cardiac arrest on their jobsite, and that training made all the difference,” Becks said. “The best time to address heart disease is before it happens, and the only time to prepare for cardiac emergencies is before they occur. The more training and awareness we build within our companies and communities, the more lives we can save.”
The Heart Association is a global leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and the official publisher of CPR guidelines. Through the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, the Association is working to ensure that more people are ready to perform CPR and be a vital link in the chain of survival, supporting its goal of doubling the survival rate from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests by 2030.
The Northeast Ohio Heart Walk will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 7/17 Credit Union Park (home of the Akron RubberDucks). Hundreds of participants are expected to walk in celebration of local survivors and the lifesaving progress made in Northeast Ohio. Companies interested in participating can contact local Heart Walk Senior Development Director Molly Smith at Molly.Smith@heart.org. Learn more and register at heart.org/neowalk.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public’s health and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
For Media Inquiries: 214-706-1173
Chelsea Caldwell: 614-448-7943, chelsea.caldwell@heart.org
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
