Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-6.5-1. Legislative findings

(1) Approximately three hundred twenty-five thousand (325,000) Americans suffer sudden cardiac arrest (“SCA”) each year and more than ninety-five percent (95%) of them die before reaching the hospital;

(2) In the population of Rhode Island, an estimated one thousand (1,000) residents will die of cardiac arrest every year;

(3) Healthcare facilities, as well as facilities that host large numbers of visitors, are more likely to experience an event that requires an automated external defibrillator (“AED”);

(4) If defibrillation is performed within five (5) to seven (7) minutes, chances of survival are increased by forty-nine percent (49%).  Every minute that goes by without defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by seven percent (7%) to ten percent (10%);

(5) Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are extremely accurate computerized devices that can be operated by the average person;  and

(6) Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) can be acquired through grants from various organizations or through government agencies.