ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin was in Washington DC on Wednesday to share his support for the Access to AEDs Act.
The proposed legislation, according to Schumer, would make AEDs and CPR training more accessible elementary and secondary schools across the country. Both public and private schools are included in this act.
The bill says that the Department of Health and Human Services would award grants to the schools to promote student access to these life-saving measures.
Hamlin, who suffered from cardiac arrest during a game last January, joined Senator Chuck Schumer to speak with reporters. He reflected that as he grew up, he never thought about these life-saving measures in his schools.
“As I was growing up playing football, I don’t recall ever thinking about CPR or knowing where aid was in my school or on an athletic field. But for those of you with children who play sports, I’d imagine your experience was similar,” Hamlin said. “With my coaches on the field and my family in the stands, we didn’t plan what would happen if sudden cardiac arrest happened to me or one of my teammates on January 2nd. That all changed for me and my entire family, particularly my mom, Nina, and my dad, Mario, who are here with me today.”
“As I mentioned, they’ve dedicated themselves to making sure no child, no family, no community should go through what they did. I am thrilled to push for this bill,” Schumer added. “As majority leader, I pledge to all of you here.”
According to Hamlin, over 7,000 kids under 18 years old suffered from sudden cardiac arrest. He says that the legislation would help schools protect their students.
