[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E217-E218]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION REQUIRING MEMBERS AND STAFF TO RECEIVE 
                MEDICAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      the of district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 14, 2023

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a resolution to amend the 
Rules of the House of Representatives to require every Member, officer 
and employee of the House of Representatives to receive medical 
emergency preparedness training, including cardiopulmonary 
resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external defibrillator 
(AED). Requiring all Members and staff to be trained in medical 
emergency preparedness would help ensure that care is immediately 
available to those in the Capitol Complex experiencing a medical 
emergency.
  Individuals trained in medical emergency preparedness can provide 
vital care during medical emergencies. When Congresswoman Gabrielle 
Giffords was wounded during a 2011 mass shooting, Daniel Hernandez Jr., 
her 20-year-old college intern, provided Giffords with lifesaving CPR.
  When responding to a medical emergency, every second counts. For 
example, immediate CPR and the use of an AED can make a critical 
difference for those experiencing cardiac arrest. CPR can double or 
triple the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest, and the survival rate 
of cardiac arrest decreases by ten percent for every minute that 
defibrillation is delayed.
  Millions of Americans saw the value of CPR and the use of an AED 
during the Buffalo Bills football game on January 2, 2023, when Bills 
player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the game. Team 
personnel performed CPR and used an AED on Hamlin, likely saving his 
life.

[[Page E218]]

  Staff from the Office of the Attending Physician and Capitol Police 
officers, while trained in medical emergency intervention, are not 
always immediately available in a medical emergency. Widespread 
training in CPR and the use of AEDs can help save lives during medical 
emergencies in the Capitol Complex.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

                          ____________________