The North Atlanta Cardiac Arrest Gap

Gwinnett Fire & EMS responded to 407 non-traumatic cardiac arrest events in 2025. Bystander CPR occurred in 48.4% of cases, public AED use reached 17.2%, and overall survival to discharge was 12.8%, all above national benchmarks. The report also estimates that matching top-performing CPR rates could produce additional survivors in the Gwinnett-Forsyth area.

• Gwinnett County's 48.4% bystander CPR rate exceeded the national CARES benchmark of 42.5%.
• Gwinnett's public AED use rate of 17.2% exceeded the national benchmark of 13.9%.
• An estimated 210 Gwinnett County cardiac arrest victims still received no bystander CPR in 2025.
• Gwinnett's Utstein survival rate of 22.7% trailed the national benchmark of 33.2%.
• The report estimates that matching Alaska's 77.0% bystander CPR rate could mean about 12 additional survivors annually across Gwinnett and Forsyth counties.

Study ID

ASBRC-2026-002

Research Partner

Work Readiness Center

Geography

North Atlanta, Georgia

Industry

Community training and preparedness

Research Area

Community Health & Preparedness

Primary Data Sources

Gwinnett Fire & EMS Utstein Survival Report, CARES Registry, 2025, CARES National Annual Report 2025, U.S. Census Bureau population data, Georgia Code § 51-1-29 and Georgia HB 534, Work Readiness Center expert perspective

Publication Date

June 2026

Status

Published

Gwinnett County outperformed national CARES benchmarks on bystander CPR, public AED use, and overall survival to discharge in 2025, but the report identifies a remaining gap in CPR coverage and Utstein survival outcomes.

North Atlanta shows stronger-than-average bystander CPR and public AED performance, but the data still points to a readiness gap because many victims receive no bystander CPR and Utstein survival remains below the national benchmark.

Primary data came from the Gwinnett Fire & EMS Utstein Survival Report, CARES Registry, covering January 1-December 31, 2025. National benchmarks came from the CARES 2025 National Annual Report. Population and local incidence estimates used Census population data and Gwinnett-specific cardiac arrest incidence.

Forsyth County cardiac arrests were estimated by scaling from Gwinnett's observed incidence rate. Survival projections use Gwinnett-specific rates as proxies and should be treated as scenario estimates, not guaranteed outcomes. The report is for community education and does not constitute medical advice.

• Gwinnett Fire & EMS Utstein Survival Report, CARES Registry, 2025
• CARES National Annual Report 2025
• U.S. Census Bureau population data
• Georgia Code § 51-1-29 and Georgia HB 534
• Work Readiness Center expert perspective

Antoinette Lewis of Work Readiness Center noted that students completing AHA Heartsaver CPR training report high confidence and competence, and identified lack of employer requirements and fear of legal liability as common reasons adults have not learned CPR.

• Full Report PDF: Full report PDFAvailable
• Executive Summary: Executive summaryComing Soon
• Methodology: Methodology notesComing Soon
• Citation: American Small Business Research Center. The North Atlanta Cardiac Arrest Gap. ASBRC-2026-002. June 2026.Available
• Press Release: Press releaseComing Soon
• Charts: ChartsComing Soon
• Media Kit: Media kitComing Soon

American Small Business Research Center. The North Atlanta Cardiac Arrest Gap. ASBRC-2026-002. June 2026.

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Work Readiness Center. Research partners may provide topic context, access to subject matter expertise, or financial support for the research process. The American Small Business Research Center maintains editorial independence. Research partners do not determine findings, methodology, conclusions, or publication decisions.