Ohio Congresswoman Wants AEDs in Schools Nationwide
U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio, announced plans to introduce legislation this month that will expand access to AEDs in schools across the country. The announcement came as Sutton praised the efforts of Dr. Terry Gordon, a cardiologist at Akron General Medical Center, who led the School AED (automated external defibrillator) Program adopted in Ohio, and urged support for programs to encourage AEDs in schools nationwide.
"Keeping children safe and healthy at school must be a national priority," Sutton said. "This proven, life-saving step should be taken in every single state. I'm proud that Northeast Ohio is leading the way, and I would like to commend Dr. Gordon for his commitment and leadership on this issue. We must not wait. We must work to enact this program nationwide to protect against the needless loss of promising young people throughout the country. Every day and every moment matters when we are fighting to preserve the lives that having AEDs in our schools can save."
Gordon began his campaign to make AEDs available in Ohio's schools after the death of Josh Miller, a 15-year-old Barberton High School student who died of sudden cardiac arrest on a football field in 2000. Sutton, who is a Barberton native, joined Gordon's efforts shortly after her election to Congress last year.
With $5 million that was allocated to Gordon's program in two phases, 4,544 of the life-saving electronic devices were placed in schools throughout Ohio in recent years.