§ 244 — Public Access Defibrillation Programs

(a) The Secretary shall award grants to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to develop and implement public access defibrillation programs— (1) by training and equipping local emergency medical services personnel, including firefighters, police officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and other first responders, to administer immediate care, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation, to cardiac arrest victims; (2) by purchasing automated external defibrillators, placing the defibrillators in public places where cardiac arrests are likely to occur, and training personnel in such places to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation to cardiac arrest victims; (3) by setting procedures for proper maintenance and testing of such devices, according to the guidelines of the manufacturers of the devices; (4) by providing training to members of the public in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillation; (5) by integrating the emergency medical services system with the public access defibrillation programs so that emergency medical services personnel, including dispatchers, are informed about the location of automated external defibrillators in their community; and (6) by encouraging private companies, including small businesses, to purchase automated external defibrillators and provide training for their employees to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation and external automated defibrillation to cardiac arrest victims in their community. (b) In awarding grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give a preference to a State, political subdivision of a State, Indian tribe, or tribal organization that— (1) has a particularly low local survival rate for cardiac arrests, or a particularly low local response rate for cardiac arrest victims; or (2) demonstrates in its application the greatest commitment to establishing and maintaining a public access defibrillation program. (c) A State, political subdivision of a State, Indian tribe, or tribal organization that receives a grant under subsection (a) may use funds received through such grant to— (1) purchase automated external defibrillators that have been approved, or cleared for marketing, by the Food and Drug Administration; (2) provide automated external defibrillation and basic life support training in automated external defibrillator usage through nationally recognized courses; (3) provide information to community members about the public access defibrillation program to be funded with the grant; (4) provide information to the local emergency medical services system regarding the placement of automated external defibrillators in public places; (5) produce materials to encourage private companies, including small businesses, to purchase automated external defibrillators; (6) establish an information clearinghouse, that shall be administered by an organization that has substantial expertise in pediatric education, pediatric medicine, and electrophysiology and sudden death, that provides information to increase public access to defibrillation in schools; and (7) further develop strategies to improve access to automated external defibrillators in public places. (1) To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), a State, political subdivision of a State, Indian tribe, or tribal organization shall prepare and submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. (2) An application submitted under paragraph (1) shall— (A) describe the comprehensive public access defibrillation program to be funded with the grant and demonstrate how such program would make automated external defibrillation accessible and available to cardiac arrest victims in the community; (B) contain procedures for implementing appropriate nationally recognized training courses in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators; (C) contain procedures for ensuring direct involvement of a licensed medical professional and coordination with the local emergency medical services system in the oversight of training and notification of incidents of the use of the automated external defibrillators; (D) contain procedures for proper maintenance and testing of the automated external defibrillators, according to the labeling of the manufacturer; (E) contain procedures for ensuring notification of local emergency medical services system personnel, including dispatchers, of the location and type of devices used in the public access defibrillation program; and (F) provide for the collection of data regarding the effectiveness of the public access defibrillation program to be funded with the grant in affecting the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rate. (e) each of fiscal years 2003 through 2014. Not more than 10 percent of amounts received under a grant awarded under this section may be used for administrative expenses.