Rep. Al Lawson Introduces the Access to AEDs Act in Memory of Rafe Maccarone
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Al Lawson (FL-05) has introduced the Access to AEDs Act in Memory of Rafe Maccarone, which will direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to health care organizations to encourage student access to AEDs in elementary and secondary schools. The grant can also be used to assist secondary schools that seek to develop a heart screening program within their athletic department.
“Sudden cardiac arrest does not discriminate against age or athletes,” Rep. Lawson said. “Often too late, families learn that their loved ones had been living with a heart condition. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is detectable with a simple five-minute heart screening test, and it is my goal to bring these preventive measures to our schools and promote a public awareness about this unfortunate cause of death.”
Additionally, the grant will also establish a national information clearinghouse that gathers information into a central location regarding sudden cardiac arrest in the pediatric population.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes, according to the American Heart Association, and they are more than twice as likely to experience the condition than non-athletes. The likelihood of a victim surviving a sudden cardiac arrest decreases seven to 10 percent each minute that passes without treatment. However, five out of ten victims could survive if bystanders had given CPR or used AEDs immediately.
In 2007, Maccarone, a sophomore at Florida’s Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School, went into sudden cardiac arrest during a warm-up routine before the beginning of soccer practice. The next day, he passed away from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
“The Maccarone family would like to thank Rep. Lawson for sponsoring this bill,” said Ralph Maccarone, Rafe’s father. “The importance of access to AED’s is paramount in saving students’ lives. To save one life will mean that Rafe’s life was not in vain. The non-profit Who We Play For has worked tirelessly to save lives in honor of Rafe Maccarone.”
The Access to AEDs Act is cosponsored by Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Joyce Beatty (D-OH) , André Carson (D-IN) has been endorsed by Who We Play For and Parent Heart Watch.
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