BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The American Heart Association said it’s seeing an increase in kids experiencing cardiac arrest. In response, the Governor signed a new plan into law designed to keep students safe at school.
Inside Broken Arrow’s Event Center, senior athletes are getting leadership training.
They represent a small portion of the more than 1,700 student-athletes at the district overseen by Executive Director of Athletics Dustin Smith.
“I don’t think you can ever be too safe,” said Smith.
He said they are already prepared for a plan Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law this week. It requires Oklahoma school districts to have a cardiac emergency response plan or CERP.
“Our responsibility is not just our student-athletes but it's our coaches, it’s the spectators who may be here so you have to be able to implement that plan and procedure for anyone who may walk into these facilities,” said Smith.
Along with the CERP, Oklahoma schools must develop a cardiac emergency response team, active that team during an emergency, place and maintain AEDs inside school facilities, train school staff in CPR and AED use, and review and evaluate the plan each year.
Smith said they already do that at Broken Arrow Schools.
“They (coaches) know exactly what to do with an AED, they know how to administer CPR,” said Smith. “There’s a lot of things you have to work through and think through and that’s why I want our coaches to practice that event.”
The American Heart Association said requiring all Oklahoma schools to have this in place will likely save lives.
“Immediate action is absolutely vital,” said Alisa Northcutt.
Alisa Northcutt is the Oklahoma Government Relations Director at the American Heart Association.
She said about 23,000 kids under 18 every year experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital.
She said nearly 40% of those incidents are sports-related and that’s the reason these schools need to have plans in place because every second matters.
“This is just going to prepare and equip anyone in a school facility to take action when it matters most,” said Northcutt.
The American Heart Association said in schools with AEDs, 70% of kids survive cardiac arrest, which is seven times the overall survival rate for children.
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