June 10, 2008–SACRAMENTO, CA–Three longtime members of United Healthcare Workers-West saved the life of a 53-year-old passenger on their Southwest Airlines flight from Sacramento to Burbank early Tuesday.

The trio was among a group of 35 workers headed to Southern California to attend a contract bargaining session with their employer, Catholic Healthcare West. Erin O'Neil, 39, a respiratory therapist at Mercy San Juan Hospital in Sacramento and David Lei, a registered nurse at Mark Twain St. Joseph's Hospital in San Andreas, said they initially heard noise coming from the back of the airplane, but when someone shouted “Code Blue,” they leapt to their feet. In a hospital, “Code Blue” means someone's heart has stopped.

They ran to the back of the plane where they found a man unconscious in his seat.

June 10, 2008–WASHINGTON–The Josh Miller HEARTS Act, H.R. 4926, passed by the House today, will establish a grant program through the U.S. Department of Education to provide schools with funds for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and AED/CPR training.

The legislation was introduced by Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) earlier this year, and had gained the support of nearly 100 House cosponsors. There is currently no companion bill in the Senate. The SCA Foundation, along with other members of the SCA Coalition, actively supported this legislation.