Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed into law a bill that would require high school students to learn CPR prior to graduation.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is now tasked with creating the curriculum which would teach “hands-only” CPR, which is a no-breath, compression-only technique recommended by the American Heart Association, to students.
“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,” Gov. Wolf said. “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, according to officials.
“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,” Sen. Tom Killion said, who sponsored the bill. “I deeply appreciate Gov. Wolf signing this legislation. It will save many lives.”
The law also states that the lessons must include the use of automatic external defibrillators, similar to those available from a UK Defibs and AED’s supplier. US brands are, of course, also available for general use in these kinds of courses.
