Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-6.2-1. Declaration of policy

(a) The legislature recognizes the work of the American Heart Association in establishing that heart disease is a leading cause of death in this country as over three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000) Americans, including three thousand (3,000) Rhode Islanders, die from sudden cardiac arrest every year. Rhode Islanders currently have a survival rate of over five percent (5%) to ten percent (10%) in instances of sudden cardiac arrests occurring outside of hospitals.

(b) Greater public access to defibrillation devices may increase 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 provide greater public access to defibrillators by distributing those devices to law enforcement and safety personnel throughout the state.