[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 21 (Monday, May 29, 2000)]
[Pages 1176-1177]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

[[Page 1177]]

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 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 
Sulberger Middle School in Philadelphia, PA, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. 
on May 20. In his remarks, he 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.