Advocates, athletes, and families applaud policy to help students, faculty and staff save lives.
JACKSON, MS -- Governor Tate Reeves signed into law Senate Bill 2349 stating that public schools must have a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) in place that instructs people to dial 911, start CPR, and use an AED on campus and at school-sponsored athletic events in the case of a cardiac emergency. The American Heart Association (AHA) championed the legislation.
AHA advocates worked alongside coalition members and other organizations to push for this policy that will increase survival rates from cardiac arrests that happen outside of a hospital.
Senator Nicole Boyd (R-Oxford) and Representative Kent McCarty (R-Hattiesburg) were sponsors of the companion bills in the senate and house chambers, SB 2349, and HB 1548, respectively. “We are grateful that Governor Reeves signed SB 2349 into law. This legislation will increase the survival rate of students, school staff, and visitors experiencing cardiac arrest as they wait for Emergency Medical Services to arrive to the scene,” said Boyd.
More than 356,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital in the United States each year. Currently, 10% of those people will survive, most likely because there were people nearby prepared to take action. “CPR, if performed immediately, can double, or triple a person’s chance of survival,” said Jennifer Hopping, Executive Director, AHA Jackson.
It is estimated that about 23,000 children under the age of 18 experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital annually in this country. Of those cases, about 40% are sports related. Whether in the classroom or on the playing field, having a plan in place to enable faculty, staff, and students to respond to a cardiac emergency quickly and correctly can save lives. In schools with AEDs, approximately 70% of children survive cardiac arrest – 7 times the overall survival rate for children.
SOURCE: American Heart Association