State Budget May Dominate Headlines—But This Deserves Your Attention

The whirlwind of the state budget is finally behind us, and it’s getting more than enough airtime. What I want to bring to the forefront is that next week marks National CPR & AED Awareness Week, observed June 1 through 7.

When a person’s heart stops, four to six minutes without oxygen can cause irreversible brain damage. That means the first person on the scene—not the ambulance—could be the difference between life and death in a sudden medical emergency. Knowing how to perform CPR or use an automated external defibrillator (AED) gives non-professionals the ability to act in those critical moments.

An AED is a portable device that analyzes the heart’s rhythm and, if needed, instructs the user to deliver a shock to restore a normal heartbeat. These devices are intentionally placed in high?traffic, easy?to?reach public locations. You may recall passing them in schools, airports, malls, grocery stores, gyms, hotels, workplaces and places of worship. They are designed so that anyone, not just medical professionals, can use them confidently.

CPR and AEDs are vital tools for people experiencing cardiac arrest, but they can also help stabilize individuals suffering from asthma attacks, diabetic emergencies, strokes or severe allergic reactions. More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur in the U.S. each year, and 90% are fatal, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. These events can happen anywhere, which is why widespread training matters.

Sudden cardiac arrest does not discriminate by age. Roughly 2,000 people under 25 die from it each year nationally, and immediate CPR delivered by a bystander can nearly double a person’s chance of survival. Waiting for EMS to arrive simply takes too long. If someone nearby knows what to do, the outcome can change dramatically.

The Assembly Republican Conference has long supported efforts to expand lifesaving training and access to AEDs and has introduced legislation to strengthen preparedness across New York, including:

• requiring CPR instruction as part of the health education curriculum in all senior high schools (A.5260);

• requiring AEDs at Long Island Rail Road and Metro?North stations (A.7041); and

• enacting “Stella’s Law,” ensuring a CPR?certified staff member is present in school cafeterias during lunchtime (A.8513).

For those who want to learn CPR or refresh their skills, the American Red Cross offers frequent training sessions across the state: www.redcross.org/take-a-class.

If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and by email at [email protected]. You may also find me, Assemblyman Will Barclay, on Facebook or X at @WillABarclay.