Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed HB5394 after survivors, school administrators and educators spent months advocating for cardiac emergency response plans to be required in all Illinois schools.
SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, announced that HB5394, which requires schools and school athletic facilities to have comprehensive cardiac emergency response plans (CERPs), was signed into law by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. This new law will further the Association’s goal to encourage CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator) knowledge and preparedness in schools for both students and teachers. The American Heart Association’s advocacy team supported the bill alongside You’re the Cure advocates, coalition members, Illinois Heart Rescue, Illinois Parent Teacher Association, Illinois Principals Association and Project ADAM.
HB5394 was introduced during the state of Illinois’ 103rd General Assembly this past spring. The bill amended the School Safety Drill Act to require all school districts to create a cardiac emergency response plan “to respond to incidents involving an individual experiencing sudden cardiac arrest or a similar life-threatening emergency while at a school or at a school-sponsored activity or event.”
Under the new law, principals and school administrators must also ensure that the plan is available on paper and digitally. HB5394 will also require plans to be distributed to athletic coaches, all relevant staff, all persons responsible for executing the plan in the event of a cardiac emergency, and any health care personnel providing care during school-sponsored activities.
“Comprehensive emergency response plans will save lives,” said Illinois Rep. Laura Faver Dias. “I applaud Gov. Pritzker for signing HB5394 into law. This is a revolutionary step toward securing multigenerational health in the state of Illinois.”
The bill was signed into law on July 1, 2024, after passing out of committee in April. The requirement to create and implement CERPs will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Once implemented, these plans are projected to more than double the chance of survival in the event of cardiac arrest for the approximately 2 million people in Illinois schools every day.
“A critical portion of our state’s population passes through the doors of schools each day to teach, to learn and to share,” said Lauren Peters, American Heart Association senior regional lead for government relations. “Now, all who call our Illinois education centers their second home, their workplace or their safe haven, know they will be surrounded by people who are capable of being lifesavers, rather than bystanders.”
With the signing of this bill, Illinois joins other Midwestern states in creating a critical blueprint for the chain of survival in schools. An estimated 23,000 children under the age of 18 experience cardiac arrest each year in the U.S. In schools where AEDs are available, 70% of children survive cardiac arrest – more than seven times the overall survival rate for children. CPR – another critical part of CERP – when performed immediately, can double or triple a person’s chances of survival in a cardiac emergency.
SOURCE: American Heart Association