AUGUSTA – The Maine Office of Rural Health and Primary Care will receive a $35,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to assist rural Maine communities in studying the effectiveness of placing automatic external defibrillators in rural areas, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday.

AEDs are computerized devices that can shock a heart back into normal rhythm and thus restore life to someone in cardiac arrest.

The grant will cover the purchase of AEDs, training and data collection to evaluate the use of the devices. The Maine Office of Rural Health and the Maine Emergency Services Office will oversee the use of the funds.

According to the American Heart Association, making AEDs standard equipment in police cars, firetrucks, ambulances, other emergency vehicles and public places could save more than 50,500 lives annually.