Florida advocates head to Tallahassee to rally for cardiac emergency response plans in schools
Students should feel safe at school, but an estimated 23,000 children each year die from cardiac arrest. That’s why American Heart Association advocates from across Florida gathered at the Capitol April 1 to urge lawmakers to support SB 430 and HB 1607. The legislation will ensure every Florida school has an automated external defibrillator (AED) and a cardiac emergency response plan in place to take action in case a student, teacher, or anybody on school campus, experiences cardiac arrest.
“I experienced cardiac arrest at the age of 20, and two complete strangers saved my life with CPR,” said Brittany Williams, volunteer advocate for the American Heart Association. “Every student in every school in Florida should feel comfortable that if their heart stopped, the staff there would know exactly what to do.”
When someone experiences cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, the odds of survival are just 1 in 10. When someone calls 911 and performs immediate Hands-Only CPR, that survival rate can triple. In schools equipped with Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs, the survival rate for students experiencing sudden cardiac arrest is approximately 70%.
Williams, a Tampa Bay resident, was one of several cardiac arrest survivors, including Ernie Withers from Manatee County, and Jana Buchalla Bonassi from Miami-Dade County, who personally met with lawmakers and their staff to share the importance of the legislation. Both the House and Senate bills are in the committee process. State Senator Corey Simon and State Representatives Taylor Yarkosky and Alex Rizo are sponsors of the respective bills.
“It’s a powerful moment when you have someone meeting with their lawmaker and sharing how their life was saved,” said Tiffany McCaskill Henderson, the American Heart Association’s Florida Government Relations Director. “This legislation will save lives, and we are grateful to Senator Simon and Representatives Yarkosky and Rizo for championing it.”
Written by Nina Barbero, APR, Marketing & Communications Director, Palm Beach County & Treasure Coast