INDIANA – Advocates with the American Heart Association will visit the Indiana Statehouse Tuesday, Jan. 20 to encourage lawmakers to keep CPR and AED requirements for schools that were signed into law last July.
The current law requires schools to develop written cardiac emergency response plans for venues where extracurricular activities take place. The law also requires an AED to be present at those events and provides an opportunity for schools to apply for grants to purchase AEDs.
All of those elements of the law are in danger of being repealed according to House Bill 1004, which will be voted on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
Having written, practiced cardiac emergency response plans and AEDs at school venues protects students, family members, staff and others in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. At schools with AEDs, the survival rate is seven times higher than at schools that don’t have AEDs.
During Heart at the Capitol Day, the American Heart Association will also provide free demonstrations of Hands-Only CPR.
