Senate hearing: advocates urge Vermont law requiring cardiac emergency plans and accessible AEDs in schools

BURLINGTON, Vt. — On April 9 the Vermont Senate Education Committee heard testimony urging lawmakers to require cardiac emergency response plans and ensure accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at Vermont schools, witnesses said.

Tina Zuk, government relations director for the American Heart Association in Vermont, told the committee supporters want language from House bill H.247 folded into the miscellaneous education bill (page 480) so every school and athletic program must adopt a cardiac emergency response plan. "This legislation is meaningful and it will save lives," Zuk said, citing state and national survival statistics and gaps in current practice.

Why it matters: Witnesses said quick bystander action and AED use greatly improve survival. Zuk told senators Vermont’s out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrest survival rate is about 7.5 percent, below the national average she cited; she said 24 cardiac arrests have been recorded at Vermont schools in the last 10 years. Athletic trainers, school nurses and safety coordinators described cases where an AED and an organized plan made the difference for a student and where locked buildings or inaccessible AEDs delayed care.

What proponents asked the committee to do: Zuk and allied groups including the…