Biden Signs HEARTS Act to Boost CPR, AED Training in Schools

MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Last week, President Joe Biden signed the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act into law, ensuring students in schools throughout the United States are better prepared to save the life of a cardiac arrest victim.

Students and teachers will be provided training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). Schools also will be given money to buy AEDs and develop cardiac emergency response plans.

About 90 percent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest die, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). CPR can double or triple their chances of survival. Unfortunately, only about 40 percent of cardiac arrest victims get the immediate help they need before paramedics arrive.

The cardiac emergency response plans promoted by the HEARTS Act can more than double survival rates from cardiac arrest, the AHA says. These plans empower bystanders to take action and call 911, start CPR, and use an AED. In schools with AEDs, children who experience cardiac arrest are seven times more likely to survive.

“Every second counts when someone experiences a cardiac arrest, and now schools will have the resources they need to save lives,” Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the AHA, said in a news release. “By ensuring schools nationwide are equipped with cardiac emergency response plans, CPR training, and AEDs, critical resources will be available to students, staff, and visitors that can mean the difference between life and death during a cardiac emergency.”

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