As we wrap up American Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about heart health and promoting CPR training for all, it’s also crucial to highlight additional efforts aimed at improving CPR education and support. One such initiative is the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act, which seeks to advance educational access for schools nationwide as well as training, tools, resources, and equipment for cardiac arrest emergencies.

To fully understand how the HEARTS Act came to be, let’s go back to where it all began, on a Monday evening on the football field.

During Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals met in what was supposed to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the regular season. However, the Monday Night Football game between the two rivals was never finished. The on-field cardiac arrest of Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, changed the trajectory of the game and Hamlin’s career, propelling the importance of high-quality CPR and AED training and administration nationwide.

Each year more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Of those impacted, more than 23,000 are children, with 40% being related to sports. Less than half of all people who need lifesaving measures, receive CPR from bystanders before professional help arrives.*

The immediate medical professional response from athletic trainers and emergency personnel to Hamlin’s cardiac arrest highlighted the need to ensure that every individual has the same access to the lifesaving care that he experienced. Because of this, in 2023 the American Heart Association created the Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, where Hamlin was named the National Ambassador.

Creating this initiative and committing to make CPR and AED awareness and education a permanent fixture in all communities across the country was the first step in turning a nation of bystanders into lifesavers. However, the need for a larger effort to bolster efforts and keep the momentum going across the country was needed. To create a Nation of Lifesavers, the AHA focused its efforts to drive policy change at both the federal and state levels. In March of 2023 the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act, was introduced, with the support of the AHA, Hamlin, the NFL and other sports organizations across the United States.

The HEARTS Act creates a grant program to provide schools with additional resources for CPR and AED training, the purchase of AEDs and related equipment and the development of cardiac emergency response plans. These plans can more than double survival rates from cardiac arrest by empowering people nearby to take action, call 911, start CPR and use an AED. In schools with AEDs, children who experience cardiac arrest are seven times as likely to survive as children in schools without AEDs.

“The bipartisan HEARTS Act is a monumental step forward in saving lives from cardiac arrest on school grounds and athletic facilities across the country. By ensuring schools nationwide are equipped with cardiac emergency response plans, CPR training and AEDs, critical resources will be available to students, staff and visitors that can mean the difference between life and death during a cardiac emergency.” -Nancy Brown, chief executive officer, AHA

In December of 2024, former President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan HEARTS Act into law, allowing the work of the AHA, Hamlin, NFL and other organizations to begin for schools around the country.

“In January of 2023, I experienced cardiac arrest and was blessed to be surrounded by a team of medical professionals that saved my life. Every year, as many as 23,000 kids experience cardiac arrest in our country, and I believe that every one of them deserves the same access to lifesaving care that I had. From schools to ball fields, this bill will help to protect kids, and I’m grateful to the lawmakers and partners who have made it a priority.” – Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety, member of the National Football League’s Smart Heart Sports Coalition and National Ambassador for the AHA’s Nation of Lifesavers movement

To learn more about the efforts of behind Heart Month and the Nation of Lifesavers initiative, visit here.