Illinois Senator Unveils New Bill for Mandatory Lifesaving Equipment

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — An Illinois state senator has introduced a new piece of legislation aimed at mandating certain facilities to keep an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) available on their premises.

Senator Doris Turner aims to ensure that life-saving devices are installed in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, communal residences, and similar locations. For instance, a nursing home in Savoy currently lacks Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). In contrast, the nursing director at Clark-Lindsey in Urbana mentioned that their facility has over ten of these devices available.

University of Illinois graduate honored as USA Today Woman of the Year

A resident of the Urbana nursing home mentioned that this was what piqued his curiosity about remaining there.

Well, since you typically don't have a lot of time to react during a heart attack, and without Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), performing CPR isn't always feasible," explained patient Jim Wardrop. "If an AED is available, it has a high chance of making a positive impact.

Existing state laws mandate that physical fitness centers, police departments, public schools, and several other locations must have AEDs within their premises.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This content must not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

To stay updated with the newest information, check out WCIA.com for weather updates, sports coverage, and live streams.