Bill Text: MI HR0053 | 2019-2020 | 100th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to declare April 2019 as Michigan Student Athlete Cardiac Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 17-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-21 - Adopted [HR0053 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2019-HR0053-Introduced.html
Rep. Witwer offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 53.
A resolution to declare April 2019 as Michigan Student Athlete Cardiac Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.
Whereas, The state of Michigan has lost at least 72 students to sudden cardiac arrest and related causes since December 1999; and
Whereas, Those students lost include 15-year-old Kimberly Anne Gillary, a student of Troy Athens High School who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in a high school water polo game at Birmingham Groves High School on April 1, 2000; Kayla Stanford, a student at Ypsilanti East Middle School, who suffered a cardiac arrest after completing track practice on March 29, 2006; Thomas Noah Smith, a student of Flushing High School, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on January 29, 2011; and Wes Leonard, a student at Fennville High school who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after scoring the winning basket in a basketball game on March 3, 2011, and
Whereas, The families of Kimberly Anne Gillary, Kayla Stanford, Thomas Noah Smith, and Wes Leonard have established Foundations (the “Foundations”) in the memory of their lost sons and daughters to try to prevent other families from losing their sons and daughters to sudden cardiac arrest at school, and
Whereas, The Foundations have donated more than 1,100 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to high schools and intermediate schools in the state of Michigan and have provided training to teachers and staff on the use of an AED and in CPR, and
Whereas, The vast majority of all Michigan high schools now have at least one AED on site due in part to the efforts of the Foundations founded by the families and by other concerned organizations, and
Whereas, In the past five years, there have been at least 22 lives saved including 10 students at Michigan K-12 schools as a result of the use of school AEDs, some of which were donated by the Foundations and other concerned organizations, and
Whereas, As a result of the efforts of the Foundations, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) there is an increased awareness of the importance of more effective pre-participation screening of our high school student athletes and of having readily available AEDs in our high schools, and
Whereas, The Foundations have worked with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to develop the Michigan HeartSafe School Program and to encourage Michigan high schools to receive certification as a Michigan HeartSafe School. To date, there are 442 K-12 schools in Michigan that have received the MI HeartSafe School designation, and
Whereas, The Michigan Legislature has passed legislation to amend MCL 29.19 to require the governing body of any school in Michigan for grades K-12 to adopt and implement a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan for the school, and
Whereas, Whereas, House Bill 4713 was signed into law on February 25, 2014, thereby establishing that it is the public policy of the State of Michigan that Michigan schools be adequately prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency on school property, and
Whereas, Senate Bill No. 647 was signed into law on December 28, 2016. It is now Public Act 388 of 2016 and requires all students in grades 7-12 to receive instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before graduation; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare April 2019 as Michigan Student Athlete Cardiac Awareness Month in the state of Michigan; and be it further
Resolved, That the people of the state of Michigan are encouraged to become more aware of the importance of improved pre-participation screening of our student athletes and the preparedness of our citizenry and public employees to respond to the sudden cardiac arrest of our sons and daughters while entrusted to our public schools in the course of their education; and be it further
Resolved, That the State Board of Education be urged to include provisions in policies and regulations for AED training in student health education courses and for regular AED drills, so that students and staff will be better prepared to use AEDs to save lives in schools and other public places; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to The Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation, The KAYLA Foundation, The Thomas Smith Memorial Foundation, The Wes Leonard Heart Team, the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the State Board of Education as a symbol of our support.
