§ 23-6.2-1 - Declaration of policy. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 23-6.2-1

   § 23-6.2-1  Declaration of policy. –(a) The legislature recognizes the work of the American Heart Association inestablishing that heart disease is a leading cause of death in this country asover three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) Americans, including threethousand (3,000) Rhode Islanders, die from sudden cardiac arrest every year.Rhode Islanders currently have a survival rate of over five percent (5%) to tenpercent (10%) in instances of sudden cardiac arrests occurring outside ofhospitals.

   (b) Greater public access to defibrillation devices mayincrease the rate of survival in those instances by up to forty-four percent(44%).

   (c) It is the intent and purpose of this chapter to providegreater public access to defibrillators by distributing those devices to lawenforcement and safety personnel throughout the state.