Posted by allisong on 08/13/2014

On Thursday, August 14th, the California Senate Appropriations Committee will have a Suspense Hearing at the conclusion of the Senate session. During this hearing, legislators will vote to lift or kill previously tabled bills, and Assembly Bill 2217 could die without your action. If enacted, AB 2217 would encourage all public schools to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) by allowing public schools the ability to solicit and receive funds to acquire and maintain an AED, if they don’t already have one. Please take action to urge the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Kevin de León, to lift AB 2217 from the suspense file.

AB 2217 should be lifted from the suspense file for the following reasons:

  • Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of cardiovascular death in the United States. Approximately 424,000 people in the United States experience Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) annually in places outside of the hospital, and roughly only 10% survive the event.
  • The key to survival is immediate application of bystander CPR and the use of an AED.
  • AEDs are extremely accurate, easy-to-use, computerized devices with audio prompts that guides the user through the steps to save lives. A victim’s chance for survival decreases by 7-10% for every minute that passes without defibrillation; AEDs are proven life saving devices.
  • AB 2217 is intended to increase access to AEDs on school property and by providing liability protection to school districts if an AED is used during school hours.
  • Providing schools with the opportunity to have and maintain an AED will increase the chances of survival for people who have heart-related emergencies while on school property.

Take action to support this lifesaving piece of legislation.

Thank you!

Allison Gingold, Los Angeles Affiliate for the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation

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