100 Schools Receive Free Automated External Defibrillator through Cintas Scholastic Grant Program

Selected by an independent panel of judges from more than 600 applications, the winning public and private schools from across the nation best demonstrated their school's need for an AED within their facility and how they will develop and implement an AED program at their school. A complete list of winning schools is available at http://www.cintas.com/customer_applications/HeartsGrant/aeds-recipients.asp

"We were delighted by the number of applications we received," said Dave Bingham, Director of AEDs and Training for Cintas. "Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a serious issue, claiming the lives of more than 250,000 adults and students each year. By equipping 100 schools with AEDs through this program and ensuring individuals are properly trained on how to maintain and use the equipment, we increase chances of survival if someone suffers SCA."

Winning applications creatively described how the school will work with student organizations, administrators and the local community to provide the proper education and training required to perform CPR and deploy an AED. Award winners have been notified and are currently organizing a date when the AED will be presented and the program deployed.

American Heart Association studies reveal that individuals with access to an AED within a few minutes of experiencing SCA have up to an 80 percent chance of survival. Without access to an AED, the odds of survival drop to less than two percent after the first 10 minutes, which is about the average response time for an EMS to arrive after the initial 911 call.

Developed to help bring awareness to SCA and encourage community education, the Cintas Scholastic AED Grant Program ran through the end of February, which is National Heart Month. Through September 30, 2009, all schools can still purchase significantly discounted AEDs.

"We encourage all schools to use the scholastic AED program as an opportunity to bring awareness to this issue and implement an AED program in their own operations," added Bingham.

As schools begin to learn more about the dangers associated with SCA and the importance of having an AED readily available, Cintas encourages support of Congressional legislation such as the Josh Miller HEARTS (Helping Everyone Access Responsive Treatment in Schools) Act which requires communities to provide access to potentially life-saving technology in elementary and secondary schools. The Josh Miller HEARTS Act is named after a 15-year-old student from Barberton, Ohio, who suffered from SCA during the final game of the football season. By the time his heart was shocked with an AED from the local emergency medical service (EMS), it was too late to save him.

Schools interested in learning more about discounts available through the Scholastic AED Program can call 1-877-973-2811. For more information on additional first-aid and safety solutions available for schools, please visit http://www.cintas.com/FirstAidSafety/.

For more information about Cintas, visit www.cintas.com.

About Cintas Corporation:

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid and safety products, fire protection services and document management services to approximately 800,000 businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol CTAS, and is a Nasdaq-100 company and component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

SOURCE: Cintas Corporation

Mulberry Marketing Communications 
Andi Vance 
(312) 664-1532 
avance@mulberrymc.com