AED Funding on the line-TAKE ACTION!

Legislation was passed during the 2007 Legislative session requiring all schools to have an automated external defibrillator (the device used to shock the heart when sudden cardiac arrest occurs) on site with trained staff and protocol in place.

However, there was no funding included in the bill so many schools currently lack an AED on campus. Contact your Legislator and ask them to make funding for AED a part of their agenda and to work with leadership to find the money to fund this effort.

Click here to urge lawmakers to make this funding a priority.

Some schools in the state are currently placing AEDs in their gyms and at sporting events. This effort was highlighted by the recent death of a high school basketball player in Little Rock and many schools are moving forward without the state funding.

The American Heart Association has been working with the Department of Education and many other entities to make sure that school authorities have the knowledge needed to make informed decision when purchasing the devices. The American Heart Association is very clear that AED protocol needs to be in place for the devices. It is vitally important that schools have a plan of action to take when an emergency situation arises.