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Stricken athletes to need medical clearance per bill
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Student-athletes who faint during sporting practices or competitions would have to be cleared by doctors or other medical professionals before returning to the playing field, under legislation approved by the Ohio Senate Wednesday.
SB 252 also includes training and informational requirements aimed at drawing increased attention to sudden cardiac arrest.
The legislation caps a series of public hearings held around the state by Sen. Cliff Hite (R-Findlay), a former football coach, who admitted he didn’t understand the symptoms of the heart condition during his coaching years.
“It’s the No. 1 cause of death [in] student athletes in the state of Ohio [and] in the country,” he said during Wednesday’s floor session. “I keep thinking about my years as a coach… I coached for 30 years, and it’s mindboggling that I was lucky enough not to have this happen when I was coaching. … It’s not anything you want to deal with. It’s terrible.”
SB 252 passed on a unanimous vote of 32-0 and heads to the Ohio House for further consideration.
Among other provisions, the legislation would require youth athletes to review information about sudden cardiac arrest. They and their parents or guardians would have to sign related paperwork before they could participate in athletic activities.
Coaches also would have to complete training on sudden cardiac arrest annually.
The information and training courses would be developed by the state departments of education and health.
Youth athletes with close family members who have experienced sudden cardiac arrest or those who have fainted during athletic activities would be barred from sports until they have been evaluated.
Affected youngsters would have to be cleared by a licensed doctor, physician assistant, athletic trainer or certified nurse before resuming athletic activities.
The bill would cover school-related events and other youth sports.
“This is a chance to teach people, through training, how to see and sense some of the symptoms for sudden cardiac arrest,” Hite said, adding, “This is good stuff, because this is a chance for all of us in this body to save lives.”
About nine other states have enacted comparable legislation.
Marc Kovac is the Dix Capital Bureau Chief. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter, @OhioCapitalBlog.