On May 13, 2026 PA SB 375 was enacted into law in Pennsylvania. This bill establishes an AED program in schools. This measure represents an important step toward safeguarding the health and well-being of people in public schools. It will help save lives and enable people to receive additional care from our members, allowing them to continue living the same quality of life that they had prior to their medical emergency that necessitated the use of an AED. Increased access to AEDs directly translates into improved access to care for patients. 

As our population ages and becomes sicker, there is an increased need to provide access to AED devices and to ensure that the people in those facilities have training on how to use them. The nationwide shortage of cardiologists exacerbates this. A 2024 study found that 46% of all counties across the country did not have a single cardiologist in them. Increased access to AEDs helps ensure that people can receive temporary treatment until they can reach the medically necessary treatment that cardiologists, and more specifically interventional cardiologists, can provide.