This is a proposal to amend NC Law 2012-198 which was ratified and signed in July 2012. At present, the law provides legislature to ensure the presence of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and a response task force in government buildings. The proposal is for the expansion of the bill to include AEDs in public school buildings, state-run recreation facilities, and provide training for their use. 

     Research shows that if CPR and AEDs are used before the arrival of EMS, the survival rate for victims rises significantly. Abnormal heart rhythms, with ventricular fibrillation (VF) are among the most common causes of sudden cardiac events and cardiac arrest. Treatment of VF with immediate electronic defibrillation can increase survival to more than 90 percent. If no intervention measures are taken an estimated ninety-five percent (95%) of cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. When CPR and defibrillation are immediately performed, survival rates can double. 

      There are over 500,000 deaths associated with sudden cardiac arrest each year in America, including those involving student athletes. AEDs are an asset to the general public as well as athletes. In the case of an arrhythmia, CPR alone cannot restore a sustainable heart beat. Lives are saved when AEDs are available and people are trained in their use. When a 12-year-old girl collapsed in her school in Dallas from cardiac arrest caused by a heart arrhythmia, two teachers acted quickly to save her life. While one teacher performed CPR, the other retrieved the school’s AED and was able to resuscitate the girl. Doctors estimate that without the quick utilization of an AED, the young girl would have only had a three percent (3%) chance of survival  and one percent (1%) chance to survive without brain damage. 

     According to the American Heart Association, only 5 % of North Carolinians survive cardiac arrest if it occurs outside of a hospital. Chance of survival can double when CPR is accompanied by use of an AED. Life saving equipment should be provided for youths attending public school. Providing access to AED’s has the ability to save lives. Proposed payment for the monetary cost of the AEDs and training can be paid for with a public/private partnership, initiated from the government and continued through sponsorship. Please sign the petition to show your support for amending the law to include providing AED's and requisite training in all public schools.

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