A measure to establish Cardiac Emergency Response Plans in all Utah schools is making its way through the Utah Legislature — a plan experts say could save hundreds of lives each year.
Each school would install automatic external defibrillators, called AEDs, conduct cardopulmonary resuscitation training for key staff members, and an develop an emergency plan rehearsed at regular intervals.
Amy Mitchell, a retired administrator in the Washington County School District, said an emergency plan saved her life. Mitchell survived a sudden cardiac arrest at her district's offices.
"I was in the right place at the right time, surrounded by people who knew CPR and had immediate access to an AED," she said. "Every school deserves these same life-saving tools and trained individuals. Sudden cardiac arrest doesn't come with a warning, and it does not discriminate by age, role, or location."
Bill sponsor Senator Jerry Stevenson, a Republican from Layton, said more than 120 Utahns die annually from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. Without intervention, the survival rate hovers around just 12%.
Backers of the bill say it's important for schools to have cardiac response plan for the safety of students and faculty members. They add that schools, particularly in rural areas, often serve as community meeting places.
Hannah Randall, government relations director of the American Heart Association in Utah, said many districts already have a cardiac response plan, and no one should die just because of where they became ill.
"[In] schools with AEDs, children who have cardiac arrest have a 70% chance of survival, which is seven times the national average," she said. "This is something that we really see as a great policy to put forward, where we can do something about the tragedy of cardiac emergencies."
The measure, Senate Bill 244, has bipartisan support and would cost Utah taxpayers $630,000 a year.
It has already passed the Senate and was approved by a House committee on Tuesday. It will now go to the full House for debate.