07/26/24 04:10:00
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07/26 16:08 CDT New Ohio law mandates defibrillators in schools, sports venues
after 2023 collapse of Bills' Hamlin
New Ohio law mandates defibrillators in schools, sports venues after 2023
collapse of Bills' Hamlin
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) --- A new Ohio law will require automatic external
defibrillators, or AEDs, to be placed in nearly every school or sports and
recreation venue in the state, a change prompted by the sudden cardiac arrest
of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin during a Monday Night Football game in
Cincinnati last year.
Hamlin praised the proposal's backers, the state Legislature and Republican
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who signed the bill Tuesday, for saving lives.
"I'll always consider Ohio my second home, and I'm delighted that this new law
makes the places around the state where young people learn, play, and compete
safer, more resilient, and better prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency,"
he said in a statement. "This is a big win for young people throughout Ohio."
The new law will require that all public schools, municipally-owned sports and
recreation locations such as gymnasiums and swimming pools, as well as some
private schools, have on-site AEDs. Previous Ohio law allowed school districts
to require AEDs on site, but made it an elective decision left to individual
districts.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest, fell flat and had to be resuscitated on the
field after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during a game against
the Cincinnati Bengals that was being broadcast to a national prime-time
audience in January 2023.
The law prompted by his episode additionally requires employees to undergo
special training on how to use AEDs and recognize the signs of cardiac arrest.
Informational sessions for students on sudden cardiac arrest would be required
before the start of any athletic season.
Under the law, the Ohio Department of Health must develop a model emergency
action plan for schools, centers and sports groups to adopt on the use of AEDs.
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