A new law in Ohio will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to be installed in nearly all schools and sports and recreation facilities in the state, a change made after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into sudden cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati last year.
Hamlin praised the proponents of the proposal. State Legislature And Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who signed the bill on Tuesday, also committed to saving lives.
“I’ve always considered Ohio a second home, and I’m pleased that this new legislation will ensure the places where our state’s young people learn, play and compete are safer, stronger and better equipped to respond to cardiac emergencies,” he said in a statement. “This is a huge win for young people across Ohio.”
The new law requires all public schools, municipal sports facilities such as gymnasiums and swimming pools, and some private schools to: Installing AEDs in facilitiesOhio’s previous law allowed school districts to mandate AEDs, but left it up to the district’s discretion.
Hamlin, a McKees Rocks native who played at Central Catholic High School and the University of Pittsburgh, went into cardiac arrest after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals broadcast to a national primetime audience in January 2023, collapsed and had to be resuscitated on the field. He was treated at UC Medical Center..
The resulting law also requires employees to receive special training on how to use AEDs and how to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest, and requires schools to hold information sessions about sudden cardiac arrest for students before the start of sports seasons.
Under the act, the Ohio Department of Health must develop a model emergency action plan for schools, centers and sports organizations to adopt regarding the use of AEDs.
Hamlin recovered and Pursuing M’s Foundation Get as many people as possible CPR and AED certified.
