Last week I was contacted by NBA superstar Ryan Gomes to help him garner support for two pieces of legislation which deal with the use of automatic external defibrillators. Ryan is a long time friend and I was happy to help him by co-sponsoring SB 981 AAC the Availability of Automatic External Defibrillators in Schools and SB 1089 AAC Automatic Defibrillators. Ryan grew up in Waterbury and played college basketball at Providence College. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics and after a trade last season now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As a way of background for those of you unfamiliar with AEDs, they are portable automatic devices used to restore normal heart rhythm to people having heart attacks. An AED consists of a small computer or microprocessor, electrodes, and electrical circuitry. If the heart is beating abnormally, the microprocessor recommends a defibrillating shock to restore a regular rhythm. The shock is delivered through adhesive electrode pads. These small machines can save lives. At a press conference on Thursday Ryan shared a personal story of a close friend in AAU basketball whose life could have been saved had there been an AED present at the Boys & Girls Club where they were playing.
SB 981 would require all schools to have at least 1 AED during/after school provided funding is available. It also allows schools to accept donations to buy defibrillators. This bill has passed in the Public Health, Education and Appropriations Committees.
SB 1089 addresses Good Samaritan immunity for an organization that provides the AED. There are already Good Samaritan Laws that protect the person who uses the AED. Passage of this bill will make it possible for youth sports leagues, churches, health clubs and businesses to acquire an AED without fear of liability.
Ryan has dedicated a great deal of time to this effort. The tragedy he witnessed motivated him to begin Hoops For Heart Health (http://www.hoopsforhearthealth.org/), his non profit foundation that addresses the issue of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in sports.
Hopefully this year with Ryan’s help we can pass these two important pieces of legislation.
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