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Mandatory CPR training sought for Ohio high school students
TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: May 28, 2015
Before future classes of Ohioans receive their high school diplomas, a Grove City lawmaker wants them to know CPR.
For the second time, Rep. Cheryl Grossman has filed a bill into the Ohio General Assembly that would require students in grades 9-12 undergo instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator.
“We are certainly cognizant of the concerns of burdening an already-crowded school curriculum, as such, we have been thoughtful about providing as much flexibility to schools as possible,” said Grossman, R-Grove City.
“For example, the basic training can be accomplished in about 30 minutes. This 30-minute training can be offered any time in the student’s four years of high school.”
The proposed legislation, House Bill 113, is jointly sponsored by Grossman and Rep. Nathan Manning, R-Ridgeville.
In the last legislature, Grossman introduced the measure as House Bill 580.
The proposal specifies that the CPR instruction must include the use of hands-on practice with a mannequin.
“Many schools are already offering basic CPR; however, studies show that bystanders are reluctant to engage in CPR without training and adding effective hands-on training will demonstrably increase skills and confidence,” Grossman said.
If enacted, the bill’s aims would apply to students who enter ninth grade for the first time on or after July 1, 2016.
The bill provides that a student must be excused from the CPR and AED instruction requirement if the student’s parent or guardian requests it in writing.
In proponent testimony on behalf of the Ohio chapter of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, Dr. Laxmi Mehta told members of the House Education Committee that sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States.
Nearly 424,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur every year across the country, mostly in homes, yet only 10.4 percent survive, mostly due to a lack of timely CPR from trained citizens.
“With your help, we will do better,” said Mehta, an associate professor of internal medicine and the associate program director for education at the Women’s Health Center of The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.
Mehta said effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.
“The best emergency medical services may not be able to reach a victim within the critical first three to five minutes. Schools prepare students with essential life skills and we believe CPR skills are among the most critical,” she said.
Rick Dawson, Jackson Township Fire Department chief, also endorsed HB 113.
“As the fire chief and a parent of a high school senior, I understand concerns from both parents and educators about adding anything to the curriculum that may take time away from teaching core material. This concern, however, has not fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
“The proposed legislation was written to allow a great deal of flexibility within the schools.”
According to the American Heart Association, Dawson said 70 percent of Americans feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they do not know how to administer CPR or because their training has lapsed significantly.
“In my opinion, hands-on, repetitive practice over the 30-minute training period will provide the people with the confidence needed to move them to action,” he said.
“An overwhelming percentage of cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals with 88 percent of all cardiac emergencies occurring in the home. It is quite obvious that with the more people trained in CPR and the use of an AED, we will improve the survival rates of our citizens.”
With regard to training high schoolers, Dawson said they are eager learners, willing to get involved and tend to travel and associate in groups.
“Teens are prone to be involved in accidents at a higher rate than older people. High school students work in places like restaurants and movie theaters, and attend activities that attract large crowds,” he said.
“By their proximity, they may be in position to save the life of a friend, family member or a stranger simply by being trained to perform CPR. Thirty minutes in a CPR class is small investment of time to learn a lifesaving procedure. It’s a skill that can benefit them for the rest of their lives.”
Dawson emphasized that training more people in CPR equals more lives saved.
“It is clear to me 30 minutes over a four-year period may be the best time investment of time in high school, especially if it can save a life,” he said.
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