[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2320-S2321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FEINGOLD:
  S. 2428. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize 
the Automated Defibrillation in Adam's Memory Act; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I am introducing the 
reauthorization of the Automated Defibrillators in Adam's Memory Act, 
or the ADAM Act. This bill is modeled after the successful Project ADAM 
that originally began in Wisconsin, and will reauthorize a program to 
establish a national clearing house to provide schools with the ``how-
to'' and technical advice to set up a public access defibrillation 
program.
  Every 2 minutes, someone in America falls into sudden cardiac arrest. 
By improving access to AEDs, we can improve the survival rates of 
cardiac arrest in our communities.
  In my home State of Wisconsin, as in many other States, heart disease 
is the number one killer. Ninety-five sudden deaths from cardiac arrest 
occur each day in Wisconsin alone. Overall, heart disease kills more 
Americans than AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined.
  Cardiac arrest can strike anyone. Cardiac victims are in a race 
against time, and unfortunately, for too many of those in rural areas, 
Emergency Medical Services are unable to reach people in need, and time 
runs out for victims of cardiac arrest. It's simply not possible to 
have EMS units next to every farm and small town across the Nation.
  Fortunately, recent technological advances have made the newest 
generation of AEDs inexpensive and simple to operate. Because of these 
advancements in AED technology, it is now practical to train and equip 
police officers, teachers, and members of other community 
organizations.
  An estimated 163,221 Americans experience out-of-hospital sudden 
cardiac arrests each year. Immediate CPR and early defibrillation using 
an automated external defibrillator, AED, can more than double a 
victim's chance of survival. By taking some relatively simple steps, we 
can give victims of cardiac arrest a better chance of survival.
  Over the past 6 years, I have worked with Senator Susan Collins, a 
Republican from Maine, on a number of initiatives to empower 
communities to improve cardiac arrest survival rates. We have pushed 
Congress to support rural first responders--local police and fire and 
rescue services--in their efforts to provide early defibrillation. 
Congress heard our call, and responded by enacting two of our bills, 
the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act and the ADAM Act.
  The Rural Access to Emergency Devices program allows community 
partnerships across the country to receive a grant enabling them to 
purchase defibrillators, and receive the training needed to use these 
devices. This program is entering its second year of helping rural 
communities purchase defibrillators and train first responders, and I'm 
pleased to say that grants have already put defibrillators in rural 
communities in 49 States, helping those communities be better prepared 
when cardiac arrest strikes.
  Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before 
reaching the hospital. Every minute that passes before a cardiac arrest 
victim is defibrillated, the chance of survival falls by as much as 10 
percent. After only 8 minutes, the victim's survival rate drops by 60 
percent. This is why early intervention is essential--a combination of 
CPR and use of AEDs can save lives.
  If we give people in rural communities a chance, they may be able to 
reverse a cardiac arrest before it takes another life. Unfortunately, 
the President zeroed out the funding for the Rural AED program in 
fiscal year 2007 after the program was cut by 83 percent last year. I 
am very disappointed that this program has been eliminated in the 
President's budget, and I will do everything in my power to restore 
funding to this program.
  Heart disease is not only a problem among adults. A few years ago I 
learned the story of Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old high school student and 
a star basketball and tennis player in Wisconsin. Tragically, during a 
timeout while playing basketball at a neighboring Milwaukee high 
school, Adam suffered sudden cardiac arrest, and died before the 
paramedics arrived.
  This story is incredibly tragic. Adam had his whole life ahead of 
him, and could quite possibly have been saved with appropriate early 
intervention. In fact, we have seen a number of examples in Wisconsin 
where early CPR and access to defibrillation have saved lives.
  Seventy miles away from Milwaukee, a 14-year-old boy collapsed while 
playing basketball. Within 3 minutes, the emergency team arrived and 
began CPR. Within 5 minutes of his collapse, the paramedics used an AED 
to jump start his heart. Not only has this young man survived, doctors 
have identified his father and brother as having the same heart 
condition and have begun preventative treatments.
  These stories help to underscore some important issues. First, 
although cardiac arrest is most common among adults, it can occur at 
any age--even in apparently healthy children and adolescents. Second, 
early intervention is essential--a combination of CPR and the use of 
AEDs can save lives. Third, some individuals who are at risk for sudden 
cardiac arrest can be identified to prevent cardiac arrest.
  After Adam Lemel suffered his cardiac arrest, his friend David Ellis 
joined forces with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to initiate Project 
ADAM to bring CPR training and public access defibrillation into 
schools, educate communities about preventing sudden cardiac deaths and 
save lives.
  Today, Project ADAM has introduced AEDs into several Wisconsin 
schools, and has been a model for programs in

[[Page S2321]]

Washington, Florida, Michigan and elsewhere. Project ADAM provides a 
model for the Nation, and now, with the enactment of this new law, more 
schools will have access to the information they seek to launch similar 
programs.
  The ADAM Act was passed into law in 2003, but has yet to be funded. 
Should funding be enacted, the program will help to put life-saving 
defibrillators in the hands of people in schools around the country. I 
have been very proud to play a part in having this bill signed into 
law, and it is my hope that the reauthorization of the Act will quickly 
pass through the Congress and into law, and that funding will follow. 
It would not take much money to fund this program and save lives across 
the country.
  The ADAM Act is one way we can honor the life of children like Adam 
Lemel, and give tomorrow's pediatric cardiac arrest victims a fighting 
chance at life.
  This act exists because a family experienced the tragic loss of their 
son, but they were determined to spare other families that same loss. I 
thank Adam's parents, Joe and Patty, for their courageous efforts and I 
thank them for everything they have done to help the ADAM Act become 
law. Their actions take incredible bravery, and I commend them for 
their efforts.
  By making sure that AEDs are available in our Nation's rural areas, 
schools and throughout our communities we can help those in a race 
against time have a fighting chance of survival when they fall victim 
to cardiac arrest. I urge Congress to pass this reauthorization, and to 
fund the ADAM Act and the Rural AED program at their full levels. We 
have the power to prevent death--all we must do is act.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2428

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Automated Defibrillation in 
     Adam's Memory Reauthorization Act''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.

       Section 312(e) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     244(e)) is amended in the first sentence by striking ``fiscal 
     year 2003'' and all the follows through ``2006'' and 
     inserting ``for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2010''.
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