PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania Senate is taking up a bill that would require all scholastic athletic events and practices to have access to the same device that saved NFL player Damar Hamlin’s life last season.
An automatic external defibrillator, or AED, gives an electric shock through the chest wall to restore a normal heart rhythm. In January, the Buffalo Bills safety’s heart stopped immediately after a tackle. He received CPR on the field for nearly 20 minutes and other medical attention — including the use of an AED.
The Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee unanimously passed a bill that would require AEDs to be accessible at all public and private school athletic events and practices.
The bill is named after Greg Moyer, a 15-year-old East Stroudsburg athlete who died of sudden cardiac arrest at a high school basketball game in 2000.
“This legislation really helps prepare our schools to prevent tragic deaths — not only athletes but also visitors and any staff who may be at the event,” said state Sen. Rosemary Brown (R-Lackawanna, Monroe, Wayne counties).
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“The CDC states that 2,000 young, healthy people under the age of 25 will die in the U.S. each year of sudden cardiac arrest,” she continued. “And 1 in 25 U.S. high schools can expect to have a sudden cardiac arrest event each year.”
State Sen. Katie Muth (D-Berks, Chester, Montgomery counties) introduced a pair of similar bills backed by Aidan’s Heart, a foundation named in honor of Aiden Silva, a Downingtown 7-year-old who died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2010. Her legislation would include mandates for CPR and AED training as well as AED location and accessibility.
The bill moved out of committee on a unanimous vote and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
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State Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester County) voted in favor of the bill in committee, but she hopes to see more added to it.
“I do remain open to and supportive of any amendments that might help make the bill even more effective,” she said. “Aidan’s Heart Foundation has offered some suggestions on ways to make this legislation stronger, and we really appreciate that input.”