In honor of new state law, State Rep. Jenn Hill delivers AEDs to schools

Rebecca Bartelme
·2 min read
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WEST ISHPEMING, Mich. (WJMN) – In Michigan, newly signed Public Acts 36 and 37 requires that and automated external defibrillator (AED) be accessible within one to three minutes during a cardiac emergency at schools.

In celebration of the law’s passage, the NFL donated 50 AEDs for Michigan legislators to distribute to schools in their hometowns. On Friday morning, State Rep. Jenn Hill stopped by Westwood High School to deliver a traveling AED that the school can take outside to places like the football field or on field trips.

“We’re really excited to have this AED available to us,” said Bryan DeAugustine, Superintendent, NICE Community Schools. “We send our kids to a lot of different events. We have a lot of events that happen outside the buildings here on campus. It’s just great to have it available just in case it’s needed. It’s kind of like an insurance policy. We hope we never have to use it, but it’s it’s great to have it just in case.”

Rep. Hill says that every year in the United States about 2,000 people under the age of 25 have sudden cardiac arrest.

“Having an AED, which are those paddles, machines that give people a charge, like you see on TV, immediately available within 5 minutes, will save people’s lives,” said Hill. “I was a student athlete myself in high school and college. So knowing the importance of having this for not only the athletes but also of people in the stands. The one that we’re giving today in Westwood is a traveling one. So that can be brought directly to the field to make sure that people are safe.”

Later on Friday, Hill also brought a special AED to Superior Shores Educational Program in Marquette. That was donated through Damar Hamlin’s foundation. Hamlin suffered and survived cardiac arrest on January 2, 2023 while playing for the Buffalo Bills.

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