Senate Passes Feingold, Collins Effort To Help Schools Gain Access To Defibrillators

Amendment to Appropriations Bill Boosts Funding for Schools to Purchase Life-Saving Devices

October 24, 2007 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) announced today that the Senate has passed their effort to increase funding for a program to assist schools in purchasing and training on automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Feingold and Collins introduced an amendment to the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill to increase funding for the Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory (ADAM) Act, a program they have long championed. The Labor-HHS Appropriations bill will contain $200,000 for the ADAM Act.

The ADAM Act was inspired by Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old high school student from Wisconsin who collapsed and died from an undiagnosed heart condition while playing in a basketball game. The ADAM Act funds a national clearinghouse to help schools set up public programs that provide access to AEDs and provides schools with technical guidance and appropriate training.

“I’m pleased that Congress has agreed to fund this important program so more schools and communities across the country are prepared if tragedy strikes,” Feingold said. “The ADAM Act is one way we can honor the life of children like Adam Lemel, and give tomorrow's pediatric cardiac arrest victims a fighting chance at life. The more we can do to educate our schools and communities on how to obtain and operate AEDs, the more lives we can save.”

“We have all heard stories of children suffering from cardiac arrest at school or during a sporting event, as well as instances where a school-age child is the first witness to a cardiac arrest or heart attack,” said Senator Collins. “Many of these victims’ lives could be saved if more people implemented the “Chain of Survival” which includes early CPR and defibrillation. The clearinghouse proposed in the ADAM Act will respond to the growing number of schools that have the desire to set up a public access defibrillation program, but often don’t know where to start.”

Collins and Feingold are also hailing the Senate’s funding of the Rural AED program, which allows community partnerships across the country to receive a grant enabling them to purchase defibrillators, and receive the training needed to use these devices. At $3 million, the legislation provides double the funding over last year’s level of $1.5 million. Since its passage in 2002, the Rural AED program has successfully secured $45 million in grants to help save lives in rural communities across the country. The Rural AED program has also enabled first responders in 49 states to received adequate training to use the devices.

Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. Every minute that passes before a cardiac arrest victim is defibrillated, the chance of survival falls by as much as 10 percent. After only 8 minutes, the victim's survival rate drops by 60 percent. This is why early intervention is essential--a combination of CPR and use of AEDs can save lives.

Source: Senator Russ Feingold

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