The American Heart Association is proud to announce a historic milestone in its mission to double survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2030 and create a world of longer, healthier lives: the signing of the HEARTS Act.
This landmark legislation establishes a federal grant program that, once funded, will help support schools so they have the lifesaving tools, training, and education to ensure that everyone has the knowledge and resources to act in a cardiac emergency.
What Is the HEARTS Act?
The HEARTS Act, also known as the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research, and Training in Schools Act, was signed into law in late December 2024 by President Biden.
It represents a significant step forward in ensuring schools across the U.S. are equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs), cardiac emergency response plans, and lifesaving CPR training programs.
Dr. Stacy Fisher, Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Adult Congenital Heart Program at Johns Hopkins University, as well as a member and former President of the American Heart Association’s, Baltimore & Greater Maryland Board of Directors, celebrated the bill’s passage.
“I am absolutely thrilled about the HEARTS Act bill that President Biden signed. It’s really important because it will help support communities’ access to trained individuals, training and resources with the possibility of saving more lives with better outcomes.”
This legislation was inspired in part by the real-life events surrounding Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin, who experienced a cardiac arrest during a 2023 game in Cincinnati against the Bengals. He survived thanks to immediate CPR and the use of an AED, and was subsequently diagnosed with Commotio Cordis, a rare condition where a chest impact at a critical moment can disrupt the heart’s rhythm, causing cardiac arrest.
Hamlin’s story helped galvanize national attention and secure bipartisan support for the HEARTS Act from leaders like Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Cory Booker and Susan Collins, and Reps. Frank Pallone, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, and Bill Posey.
In March 2023, the NFL established the Smart Heart Sports Coalition with founding members including the American Heart Association, Damar Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation and the MLB, MLS, NBA, NCAA, and NHL. The Smart Heart Sports Coalition is advocating for all 50 states, including Maryland, to adopt evidence-based policies that will prevent fatal outcomes from Sudden Cardiac Arrest among high school student athletes.
Why This Legislation Matters
Every year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals in the U.S., with nearly 90 percent proving fatal without CPR, according to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. Immediate intervention, especially through CPR, can dramatically increase survival rates and improve quality of life after an emergency.
“Cardiac arrest survival without CPR is absolutely dismal, and with CPR, we meet people who are survivors on a regular basis,” said Dr. Fisher.
“If everybody in high school has a requirement to know CPR, you have your entire population, over time, trained to be first responders. Whether you’re at a train station, a bus stop, on the athletic field, or in the grocery store, there should be somebody around you who has formal training and can recognize an emergency and start immediate treatment until formal EMS is available.”
The HEARTS Act will bolster state efforts through a new, competitive grant program to provide schools with additional resources for CPR and AED training, the purchase of AEDs and related equipment and the development of cardiac emergency response plans.
Communities United for Change
The HEARTS Act could also address disparities in access to lifesaving care. It includes provisions to adapt its implementation to the existing infrastructure of the individual communities. Training and resources may be distributed through centralized programs or local outreach efforts, with schools playing a key role in ensuring widespread CPR education and access to emergency care.
“One of the biggest priorities of the American Heart Association is ensuring access and trying to make care available to everyone. It’s very empowering to have the knowledge to recognize and initially treat an emergency well,” said Dr. Fisher. “To have it expected that people would have access to emergency care no matter what state they live in is absolutely wonderful.”
The HEARTS Act is an important step forward in creating a culture of preparedness during a cardiac emergency outside of a hospital. With more people trained to respond and better access to resources like AEDs, we can save countless lives.
The American Heart Association encourages everyone to take charge of their heart health and support initiatives like this. Together, we can create a healthier, more resilient future.
Visit www.heart.org to learn more and get involved.
