    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [May 20, 2000]
    [Pages 991-992]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    May 20, 2000

        Good morning. For the last 7 years, we've worked hard to enhance the
    health and safety of the American people. Today I'd like to talk about
    new measures we're taking to save the lives of many thousands of men and
    women who fall victim to one of America's biggest killers, sudden
    cardiac arrest.
        Every day--every day--more than 600 Americans die from sudden
    cardiac arrest. In some cases, the cause is long-term coronary artery
    disease. In others, it can be triggered by intense emotional or physical
    stress. Either way, the heart starts beating chaotically and cannot send
    blood to the brain and other vital organs.
        The key of survival is the speed of response. In addition to CPR,
    most cardiac arrest victims need an immediate electrical shock to
    restore the heart's normal rhythm. When victims receive that shock
    within a minute, there's a 90 percent chance of resuscitation. When it
    takes 10 minutes, the odds fall to less than 5 percent. Keep in mind, in
    a big city with a lot of traffic, it can often take far more than 10
    minutes for emergency medical technicians to arrive.
        But thanks to new devices called automated external defibrillators,
    or AED's, a person with moderate training can now administer lifesaving
    shocks to someone in cardiac arrest. An AED, which is about the same
    size and price as a good laptop computer, uses voice commands to lead
    the rescuer through every step and delivers a shock only if it's
    necessary.
        Mike Tighe, a public health official in
    Boston, spent several years on a crusade to put AED's in police cars and
    fire trucks. A year and a half ago Mr. Tighe needed an AED himself. Four
    hours into a flight from Boston to Los Angeles, his arm started flailing
    and his head fell forward. A flight attendant used an onboard AED and
    saved his life. The device had been installed on the plane only 2 days
    before.
        There are countless other stories of AED's saving people's lives. In
    the first 6 months after AED's were installed at Chicago's O'Hare
    Airport, 9 out of 11 people who went into cardiac arrest were saved. In
    Las Vegas, AED's in hotels and casinos have increased the survival rate
    from 14 percent to a remarkable 57 percent. Just last week a visitor
    here at the White House collapsed and would have died if not for one of
    the AED's that our medical unit acquired last year.
        On the basis of successes like these, it's time for the National
    Government to help bring AED's to public places all over America. Today
    I'm pleased to announce three major steps to achieve that goal. First,
    I'm directing the Department of Health and Human Services and the
    General Services Administration to develop guidelines for putting AED's
    in all Federal

    [[Page 992]]

    buildings. To help with this effort, the American Heart Association and
    the American Red Cross have volunteered to train Federal employees to
    use AED's.
        Second, I'm working with Congress to complete a vital piece of
    legislation that would not only encourage the installation of AED's in
    Federal buildings but also grant legal immunity to good Samaritans who
    use them, whether in public or private buildings.
        And third, I'm proposing a new rule that would require all
    commercial planes with at least one flight attendant to include an AED
    in their in-flight medical kit.
        If this entire Nation comes together to place AED's in airplanes,
    Federal buildings, and other key locations, we can save more than 20,000
    lives every single year. I expect there are very few people listening
    today who don't know someone who has been struck down by sudden cardiac
    arrest. Perhaps a father, a great-aunt, a cherished teacher, a dear
    friend. With this new technology, we have the ability to turn around the
    odds.
        We can give average citizens the power to restart a heart and save a
    life. It is now our responsibility to bring this technology, this modern
    miracle, to every community in America.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 2:50 p.m. on May 19 at the Mayer
    Sulzberger Middle School in Philadelphia, PA, for broadcast at 10:06
    a.m. on May 20. In his remarks, the President referred to Michael Tighe,
    community affairs director, Boston Public Health Commission. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    May 19 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.