Borrowing for defibrillators

BY ALLISON CONNOLLY

Despite major budget cuts, the state Legislature has authorized the Swift administration to borrow $2.7 million to buy automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) for police and fire departments in every city and town.

Massachusetts becomes only the second state in the nation - behind Rhode Island - to pass such a measure, said Gloria Craven, principal of Boston – based Craven & Ober Policy Strategists, LLC, a lobbying and government –relations firm that crafted the AED bill on behalf of the local chapter of the American Heart Association (AHA).

The devices, which cost around $3,000 each, shock a heart in cardiac arrest into a regular rhythm. However, the chances of surviving a fatal fibrillation (an abnormal beat) decreases as much as 10 percent every minute that passes without defibrillation. As such, the AHA supports AEDs being placed in public places. But even many police and fire departments in the state do not have any. “As you move away from Boston, access to AEDs drops greatly,” Craven said.

Most recently, a Wellesley man suffered cardiac arrest and died on a commuter rail train bound for Boston. The train did not have an AED on board, and it took nearly 20 minutes for it to reach Back Bay Station in Boston, where EMTs were waiting to shock his heart.

However, the administration still has yet to borrow the money for the AEDs and it is not certain if it will. Already, the Legislature has authorized more borrowing than the administration can afford. So far, $10 billion in bonds have been authorized for capital projects, yet the bond cap stands at $1.2 billion, said Mike Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

“The 10 –to-1 ratio has been roughly the same for the last decade, “ Widmer said. Widmer said the AED proposal may have a good chance of being funded because it is a rather small amount compared with most.

State Rep. Colleen Garry, D-Dracut, who rallied support for the bill, said the Legislature passed the initiative during hard economic times, so she thinks acting Gov. Jane Swift will consider it seriously. As the governor looks at it, I think she will realize that it is something that can truly save lives,” Garry said. “It is worth it.”

WGBH Radio Interview

The firm’s life safety and science background resulted in $2.7 million dollars to purchase and distribute Automatic External Defibrillators on behalf of the American Heart Association. The effort was featured on WGBH Radio’s Market place, public radio’s daily magazine of business and economics.