"These funds will help make AEDs available in our states's rural communities, and make a real difference in the lives of the Mainers who live there," said Collins. "AEDs strengthen what's known as the chain of survival: an immediate call to 911, early CPR and defibrillation and early advanced life support. It is extremely gratifying to know that more lives will be saved as a result of our hard work on the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act."
The grant will first go to Maine Emergency Medical Services, which will in turn allocate AEDs to fire and rescue services, health clinics, nursing homes, and schools in rural communities through the state. In 2000, President Clinton signed into law the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act, a law authored by Senator Susan Collins. The law increases access to AEDs for smaller towns and rural communities where those first on the scene may not be paramedics or others who would normally have defibrillators. It also authorizes a $25 million grant program that awards federal funds to community partnerships consisting of local emergency responders, police and fire departments, hospitals, and other community organizations for the purchase of AEDs and the training of responders in their use. $11.6 million dollars were provided for this year's grants, which were made to 49 states and the U.S. territory of Guam.