What will you be doing the first week of June? Thanks to the passage of a new resolution in Congress, we all will be honoring National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Awareness Week!

Nearly 2,000 messages were sent by You’re the Cure advocates in support of this bill, which will further educate Americans about the necessity of CPR and AEDs and to encourage states, cities, and towns to establish well-organized programs that provide CPR and AED trainings and increase public access to AEDs. And Congress received your messages loud and clear! The resolution, which was introduced by Representatives Randy Kuhl (R-NY) and Dan Boren (D-OK) and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), passed by unanimous consent before the end of the Congressional session in December.

National CPR and AED Awareness Week will help shine a light on sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). At least 164,000 Americans experience SCA outside of a hospital each year and more than 95 percent of them die before reaching the hospital. But the good news is that quick application of proper CPR and defibrillation can make a difference and save lives. In cities where defibrillation is provided within five to seven minutes, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 49 percent.

Join the American Heart Association and its partners at the American Red Cross in applauding Congress on passage of the resolution. Send your letter of thanks to your legislators today! When you support CPR and AED Awareness, you’re the cure!