The HEARTS Act

On March 20th the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted on legislation that will help primary and secondary schools develop cardiac emergency response plans (CERP), help fund and maintain automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools and help train school staff to be ready to perform CPR and use the AED to save lives. This bill, the HEARTS Act, passed unanimously through the committee and the next step is for the bill to be considered by the full House of Representatives.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. suffer a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital every year; unfortunately, only about 1 in 10 of those survive. Between 7,000 and 23,000 children suffer a cardiac arrest annually, a large percentage of those in schools or at extracurricular activities. When someone nearby promptly starts CPR and uses a publicly available AED, it can double or even triple the chances of a victim surviving a cardiac arrest.

Advocates like you have been working on for over a year to generate support for the bi-partisan Access to AEDs Act. The work of advocates like you has built support for these lifesaving policies with members of Congress. The HEARTS Act incorporates the key elements of the Access to AEDs Act and is poised to be voted on in the coming months.