Council Supports CPR Training in High Schools

This week, the Council adopted a resolution offered by Councilors Flynn and Murphy that calls for mandatory Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training in high schools across Massachusetts. The resolution highlighted the importance of equipping students with life-saving skills that can dramatically increase survival rates for cardiac arrest.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. and the second in Massachusetts. Immediate CPR, especially when paired with an AED, can double or even triple a person’s chances of survival, but currently, fewer than 40% of people receive timely assistance when cardiac arrest happens outside of a hospital.

While CPR training can be completed in as little as 30 to 45 minutes, Massachusetts is one of only nine states that does not require it for high school graduation. The Council is backing five proposed bills that would change that:

• S.447, An Act providing hands only CPR training and the use of defibrillators
• S.456, An Act requiring instruction in CPR and the use of defibrillators for high school graduation
• H.556, An Act providing CPR and AED Education for All
• H.572, An Act relative to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automatic defibrillator education in public schools
• H.750, An Act providing hands only CPR training and the use of defibrillators

By supporting these bills, the Council aims to ensure that every high school student in the Commonwealth is trained to respond confidently and effectively in emergency situations.