Russ Feingold: “I rise today with Senator Collins to introduce the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act. This legislation provides a…”

“I rise today with Senator Collins to introduce the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act. This legislation provides a first step to helping save the lives of the more than 250,000 people who die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. Every two minutes, someone in America falls into sudden cardiac arrest--a medical emergency in which the heart's rhythm becomes so erratic it can not pump blood to the brain and other vital organs. According to the American Heart Association, over 250,000 Americans die each year from sudden cardiac arrest. That is 700 deaths each day-- a startlingly large number. Overall heart disease kills more Americans than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined. In my home state of Wisconsin, as in many other states, heart disease is the number one killer. Ninety-five sudden deaths from cardiac arrest occur each day in Wisconsin.”