HR0880 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0880 LRB094 18759 HSS 54141 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Each year sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of more than 250,000 Americans before they reach a hospital; it strikes people of all levels of fitness, and it usually strikes without warning; and

WHEREAS, Most often, sudden cardiac arrest is caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation that prevents the heart from pumping blood; and

WHEREAS, The treatment for ventricular fibrillation is defibrillation, which is the delivery of an electric shock to the heart that stops ventricular fibrillation and allows a normal heart rhythm to resume; and

WHEREAS, Providing defibrillation on-site with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can significantly increase survival rates for ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest; and

WHEREAS, The American Heart Association is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke, and it is dedicated to helping businesses and communities establish on-site AED programs; and

WHEREAS, The American Heart Association and its volunteers have assisted in the establishment of AED programs at the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate by providing life-saving CPR and AED training for General Assembly employees in 2004 and again in 2005; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend the American Heart Association for its efforts to save lives through education and training, and we thank the American Heart Association and its volunteers for providing CPR and AED training for General Assembly employees; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Greater Midwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association as an expression of our gratitude for its role in providing heart-health education and life-saving training.