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Penn. Governor Signs Bill to Develop CPR Curriculum
PRESS RELEASE
On June 12, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law Act 7 of 2019, formerly Senate Bill 115, which will require the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to create potentially life-saving curriculum for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
“I’m proud to sign into law this important life-saving measure. Each additional set of hands trained to do CPR increases the likelihood that a cardiac arrest will be reversed,” said Gov. Wolf. “Teaching our young Pennsylvanians to save a life not only promotes the health of all of Pennsylvania, it builds a sense of community and neighborliness.”
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of the hospital each year, and nearly 45 percent of those patients who received CPR survived. Act 7 requires PDE to provide a curriculum to schools to teach “hands-only” CPR, a no-breath, compression-only technique recommended by the American Heart Association for sudden cardiac arrests. The curriculum must also include the use of automatic external defibrillators.
“This new law will help provide generations of Pennsylvanians with an important lifesaving skill. Knowing how to properly use the hands-only CPR technique and AED equipment is critical when an individual suffers a cardiac arrest,” said Sen. Tom Killion, who sponsored the bill. “I deeply appreciate Gov. Wolf signing this legislation. It will save many lives.”
Killion noted enhanced academic standards have been a priority of both the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for the past several years.
“It’s important to note my legislation includes no mandate. CPR instruction is already part of Pennsylvania’s academic standards. My bill ensures all schools are providing the most current method of administering CPR, the hands-only technique, and affords schools flexibility in how their students are taught, such as working with community organizations like the American Heart Association to facilitate the training.”
Numerous organizations participated in crafting SB115, including the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), PA Athletic Trainers’ Society, Independence Blue Cross, PA Medical Society, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, the American College of Cardiology, and the Foundation for Delaware County.
Original Source: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor and SenatorKillion.com.
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