A bill that would make automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and CPR training more accessible in schools across the country will be brought to the Senate floor this week for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer made a stop in Western New York on Monday to make that announcement alongside Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who has been working with Schumer to boost support for the bipartisan Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act. The legislation, which the House passed earlier this year, would create a grant program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support CPR and AED training, in addition to supporting the purchase of AEDs and the development of cardiac emergency response plans, which can more than double survival rates from cardiac arrest by empowering people nearby to dial 911, start CPR and use an AED. In January 2023, the Bills' medical team used an AED and performed CPR after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game in Cincinnati.
Photo by Senator Charles Schumer's Office
