Press Release - Tuesday, August 01, 2006
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LT. GOVERNOR QUINN ANNOUNCES HEARTSAVER AED FUND GRANTS ***APPLICATION CYCLE BEGINS TODAY, TUESDAY, AUGUST 1!*** The Heartsaver Initiative Aims to Make Defibrillators as Common as Fire Extinguishe
(SPRINGFIELD) - Today, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn announced new matching grant opportunities from the Heartsaver AED Fund. Administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Heartsaver AED Fund will provide 50 % matching grants for defibrillator purchases to public schools, park districts, and public colleges and universities. The first day to apply for a matching grant is today Tuesday, August 1. Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Bob Gomora, a retired state trooper from Girard, recounted how his life was saved by an AED when he collapsed in 1999 while on duty at the Illinois State Police District Headquarters. He credits his survival with the quick application of an AED by his fellow state trooper.
Quinn was also joined by Officer Dave Bentley of Pawnee, Illinois. Officer Bentley has been involved in saving the lives of 10 people and as a heart disease survivor, personally knows the value of AEDs.
Each year, more than 250,000 Americans die from sudden cardiac arrest.
"Our goal with the Illinois Heartsaver Initiative is to make defibrillators as common as fire extinguishers in our state," Quinn said. "Today, I encourage the people of Illinois to voluntarily donate to the Heartsaver AED Fund to help save lives."
Currently, the Heartsaver AED Fund has more than $100,000. Quinn's office was instrumental in securing this funding from the fiscal year 2007 budget, as well as through a $10,000 donation from Walgreens.
In 2004, the Lt. Governor's office joined with the Illinois General Assembly to pass the landmark Colleen O'Sullivan Law requiring defibrillators in schools, indoor park district facilities and physical fitness facilities. Colleen O'Sullivan, a staff attorney for the Illinois House of Representatives, died of heart complications in 2002 after exercising at a health club facility.
The Colleen O' Sullivan Law requires public schools and park facilities to have at least one AED and a trained operator, as well as an emergency response plan filed with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
At Quinn's urging, the General Assembly also enacted the Heartsaver AED Fund which was signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Valentine's Day, 2005.
For more information about the Heartsaver AED Fund, log on to www.KeepIllinoisHealthy.org. Quinn also announced that next year, Illinois taxpayers will have an additional way to donate to the Heartsaver AED Fund via a check-off box on the Illinois Income Tax form.
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