PRINTER'S NO. 1382
No. 1164 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY BEBKO-JONES, HARHAI AND JAMES, APRIL 15, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
APRIL 15, 2003
AN ACT
1 Authorizing the Department of Health to award grants for the
2 purchase of automated external defibrillators; and making an
3 appropriation.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Automated
8 External Defibrillator Grant Act.
9 Section 2. Purpose.
10 The purpose of this act is to promote greater availability
11 and use of automated external defibrillators in this
12 Commonwealth by encouraging State veterans' homes, senior
13 citizen centers and certain adult day-care centers, child-care
14 centers, group homes and family child-care homes to purchase the
15 devices.
16 Section 3. Definitions.
17 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
18 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
1 context clearly indicates otherwise:
2 "Automated external defibrillator." A portable device which
3 uses electric shock to restore a stable heart rhythm to an
4 individual in cardiac arrest.
5 "Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
6 "Entity." Any of the following:
7 (1) State veterans home.
8 (2) Senior citizens center.
9 (3) Adult day-care center licensed by the Department of
10 Aging.
11 (4) Child-care center, group home and family child-care
12 home licensed by the Department of Public Welfare.
13 "Secretary." The Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth.
14 "User." An individual who uses an automated external
15 defibrillator.
16 Section 4. Grants.
17 (a) Authorization.--The department, through the advisory
18 board established under section 5, shall award grants to
19 entities that purchase an automated external defibrillator for
20 their own use and that submit an application in a form
21 acceptable to the department.
22 (b) Amount.--The amount of each grant shall not exceed 50%
23 of the purchase price for an automated external defibrillator.
24 Only one grant shall be awarded per entity.
25 Section 5. Agreement between department and grant recipients.
26 An entity that is a grant recipient must enter into an
27 agreement with the department. The agreement must include the
28 following terms and conditions:
29 (1) Expected users shall be trained in cardiopulmonary
30 resuscitation through a course of instruction provided by the
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1 American Red Cross or the American Heart Association or
2 through an equivalent course of instruction approved by the
3 department in consultation with a technical committee of the
4 Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council.
5 (2) Expected users shall complete training in the use of
6 an automated external defibrillator through a course of
7 instruction provided by the American Red Cross or the
8 American Heart Association or through an equivalent course of
9 instruction approved by the department in consultation with a
10 technical committee of the Pennsylvania Emergency Health
11 Services Council.
12 (3) Expected users shall be trained to utilize available
13 means to immediately contact and activate the emergency
14 medical services system.
15 (4) The entity shall maintain and test the automated
16 external defibrillator according to the manufacturer's
17 operational guidelines.
18 (5) The entity shall notify emergency medical services
19 personnel of the presence of an automated external
20 defibrillator and assure that any appropriate data or
21 information is made available to emergency medical services
22 personnel or other health care providers as requested.
23 Section 6. Advisory board.
24 The department shall establish an advisory board to review
25 and approve grant applications under this act. The advisory
26 board shall be comprised of the following:
27 (1) Two officials from the department appointed by the
28 secretary.
29 (2) Two officials from the American Heart Association,
30 appointed by the secretary.
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1 (3) A citizen who is not affiliated with the department
2 or the American Heart Association and who has knowledge of
3 automated external defibrillators, appointed by the secretary
4 upon recommendation of the president of the American Heart
5 Association.
6 (4) Two members of the Public Health and Welfare
7 Committee of the Senate, one appointed by the chairman of
8 that committee and one appointed by the minority chairman of
9 that committee.
10 (5) Two members of the Health and Human Services
11 Committee of the House of Representatives, one appointed by
12 the chairman of that committee and one appointed by the
13 minority chairman of that committee.
14 Section 7. Good Samaritan civil immunity.
15 An expected user who uses an automated external defibrillator
16 purchased from a grant awarded under this act shall be entitled
17 to civil immunity as provided in 42 Pa.C.S. § 8331.2 (relating
18 to Good Samaritan civil immunity for use of automated external
19 defibrillator).
20 Section 19. Appropriation.
21 The sum of $5,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
22 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of Health
23 for the fiscal year July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004, for the
24 purpose of making grants in accordance with this act.
25 Section 20. Effective date.
26 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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