What we’re working on and why: The HEARTS Act
More than 350,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital each year, and as many of 23,000 of those are children. Roughly 10% of people survive this tragic event. When someone nearby promptly starts CPR and uses an automated external defibrillator (AED), they can double or triple the chances of survival. In schools with an AED, the chances of a child surviving a cardiac arrest jump up to 70%!
We could save thousands of lives each year if more schools have AEDs, staff trained in CPR, and a plan to respond to a cardiac emergency. The HEARTS Act could help.
The HEARTS Act was a bipartisan bill passed by Congress at the end of 2024 that created a new grant program to equip schools across the country with the tools to respond to a cardiac emergency. This grant program will help schools purchase and maintain AEDs, train staff and volunteers on CPR, and develop a plan for cardiac emergencies.
Now, Congress needs to fund this lifesaving program. The HEARTS Act was passed thanks to the work of tens of thousands of advocates, and we need Congress to follow through on this bipartisan commitment to save lives.