Legislation signed last year by Ohio Governor Bob Taft provides funds to equip the state's schools with lifesaving automated external defibrillators (AEDs). An amendment to Ohio House Bill 434 makes available $2.5 million generated from the tobacco settlement to launch the important initiative.
"Every school day, 20 percent of our adult and child population is in Ohio schools. The lives saved by these devices may be those of parents, teachers, grandparents or coaches," said Dr. Terry Gordon, a cardiologist at the Akron General Medical Center and a leading advocate for the school AED program. His testimony before the state legislature was instrumental in helping procure funding.
Akron General Medical Center, the administering organization for the funds, is partnering with medical-device manufacturer Medtronic Inc. to provide the AED units. The American Heart Association will supply training materials. The legislation also encourages local EMS agencies to offer free trainings to schools
"We are asking all fire and EMS agencies to donate training to five staff members in each of the schools chosen in their area," said Richard Rucker, executive director of the Ohio Division of Emergency Medical Services. "The involvement of the EMS community brings Ohioans one step closer to emergency preparedness."
An estimated $7.5 million must be raised to achieve the goal of placing an AED in each of Ohio's 5,000 public and private schools.
"Children are our most precious resource. There is no doubt that the placement of defibrillators in schools across the state will save lives," added Dr. Gordon. "Our goal is to secure the additional funding needed to make certain that every school, public and private, has access to an AED."
For more information about the Ohio Schools AED Program, call 1-888-644-6233.
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