DC schools could be required to train for when a student goes into cardiac arrest
A new bill passed unanimously by the D.C. council Tuesday will require all public and charter schools create and execute plans up for when students have serious cardiac emergencies. A six-time heart attack survivor told WTOP why this legislation is so important.
“Sudden cardiac arrest is the No. 1 killer of student athletes,” said Jude Maboné, Miss District of Columbia 2023 and a six-time heart attack survivor.
She long advocated for The Cardiac Planning and Response Act that was passed unanimously by the D.C. council this week.
It will require schools, both public and charter, to have cardiac emergency response plans for preparation of serious heart episodes on campus.
“When a cardiac emergency strikes, somebody knows that it’s their responsibility to get the AED (automated external defibrillator),” Maboné told WTOP. “Somebody else knows that it’s their job to call 911, and somebody else is going to start CPR without any delay and that is going to dramatically increase their survival rate.”
Schools will need to implement a written “Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP)” by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.
Maboné was at a cross-country practice when she first experienced a heart attack.
“I had pain in my left shoulder, I had a headache, I was nauseous, just all the traditional symptoms … and honestly, I didn’t know the severity of what was going on,” she told WTOP.
“We were waiting for emergency services to respond and so my coaches went into the gym to finish out the workout, and I was left by myself to wait for that. And so to me, this is very personal,” she said.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen the U.S. each year; 23,000 happen to people under 18 years old.
“It can happen to anybody, and that’s why I’m just so thrilled that the council is taking this seriously,” said Maboné.