The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced a $6.4 million grant to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for the distribution of automated external defibrillators across the state.

The grant, which builds on a previous award of $5.9 million from the foundation for the distribution of mechanical CPR devices to EMS agencies and hospitals in Nebraska, will support the distribution of twenty-five hundred AEDs to first-responders, state offices and facilities, and law enforcement agencies with primary response vehicles. The grant also will underwrite the cost of CPR and AED skills training at twenty-five distribution sites.

"This generous grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust equips law enforcement with a valuable resource to save lives. Law enforcement officers are often the first to arrive at an accident or respond to medical emergencies," said Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts. "Having this equipment and training will allow them to intervene immediately during an emergency, without having to wait for the arrival of EMS personnel."

"We are excited to partner with the state of Nebraska to launch this initiative," said Helmsley trustee Walter Panzirer. "We've seen hundreds of deployments in other states, and the data show that law enforcement are great at providing CPR. There are people alive today because of the hard work of everyone involved."