SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois lawmakers know there were 109 cardiac events involving Illinois students under 18 during 2022. School districts may soon be required to develop cardiac emergency response plans to help address the growing issue.
The Illinois General Assembly has previously passed plans to require every school to have AEDs available on school property. However, House Bill 5394 would require school districts to work with local paramedics to create a plan in case there is a cardiac event.
"The creation of these plans will use evidence-based best practices for the placement of AEDs which will save lives and provide significantly better outcomes for students and staff who experience cardiac events while on school grounds," said Rep. Laura Faver Dias (D-Grayslake).Â
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The cardiac emergency response plan would be available on every school website and in paper form throughout schools. Coaches and other athletic staff members would also have copies of the cardiac response plan.
Moline High School student Maddox McCubbin became an advocate for this change after he suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest last year. He was on the ground of his study hall room without oxygen for three minutes until the school nurse arrived and was able to quickly provide CPR.
McCubbin told lawmakers that he received three rounds of CPR and two shocks from the school's AED before he was resuscitated.
"Had I been down for even a minute longer, or the nurse not had the training and expertise that she did, I would not be here speaking in front of you today," McCubbin said.
Sudden cardiac arrest is also the leading cause of death for student athletes. Dr. Heather Baker, a sudden cardiac arrest survivor and principal at Dorothy Simon Elementary School, told lawmakers that everyone should treat cardiac arrest as a public health emergency. Baker has already implemented a cardiac response plan at her school and personally leads the learning sessions for her staff.
"My staff members have expressed to me regularly how important they feel learning CPR and AED is and how confident they feel now that they have run a couple of drills," Baker said. "They have told me that each time they do a training, and each time they do a drill, they feel more and more confident they can save a life. That's exactly what we want."
Schools would be required to identify where AEDs are located on the property and include guidelines for how to use the equipment properly. Coaches, assistant coaches and other staff could also be trained on using AEDs.
House Bill 5394 passed unanimously out of the House Elementary & Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee. The plan now moves to the House floor for further consideration.
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