Some North Carolina schools still lack AEDs as lawmakers push bill

By the numbers: Each year, more than 350,000 people in the United States experience cardiac arrest. When they happen outside of a hospital, 90% are fatal, according to the American Red Cross.

• The American Heart Association reports that six North Carolina children had cardiac arrests at school during the 2023-24 school year.
• One of them died.

State of play: Rep. Wyatt Gable (R-Onslow) said that when he was provided the statistics, he couldn't make sense of them.

• Gable cosponsored a bill that would ensure all public schools have at least one AED on every campus near athletics facilities. It passed the House this month.
• The proposal is now in the Senate's hands, though lawmakers may negotiate it into the coming state budget. It's projected to cost around $2 million.
• "Every child in this state deserves the best possible chance to come home," Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), who cosponsored similar legislation that has yet to move in the Senate, said in a news release.

What they're saying: East Carolina University track athlete Hailey Yentz's heart stopped for several minutes one day during college weight training. She had an undiagnosed genetic condition and required four shocks from an AED before an ambulance arrived.

• "That's the thing about cardiac emergencies: they don't announce themselves, they don't wait for a convenient moment, and they happen in gyms, in weight rooms, and on fields, and in classrooms," Yentz said. "When they do, the only thing that matters is whether people nearby are ready."
• "When I collapsed that day, a team of people around me were ready, and that's why I'm here," she said.

Yentz was part of a delegation AHA organized to meet with lawmakers in Raleigh last week.

• So was Denny Kellington, who heads up player health for the Carolina Panthers. Kellington was the athletic trainer who saved Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin's life with an AED when his heart stopped during a 2023 NFL game.
• "Damar Hamlin gets to live and be an advocate for CPR and AEDs across this country. The impact that his rescue had on society is immeasurable, but we need to continue to protect all children. …Being prepared will save lives," Kellington said.

Zoom in: Sara Council, from Roanoke Rapids Graded School District in northeast North Carolina, said several winters ago, a middle schooler died after collapsing at recess.

• "That loss changed us," Council said, explaining that the district now has AEDs in every school and partners with the local fire department and community college for annual trainings.

Between the lines: AHA said five counties, including Wake, don't yet have AEDs in all public schools.

• The two Wake County public schools that don't have both "completed training and will be online soon," district spokesperson Lisa Luten said in an email.
• The association said best practice is that AEDs should be within reach in three minutes, so large schools may require several.
• "One per school is the starting line. It is not the finish line," Council said.

What's next: The legislature is off this week. House and Senate leadership expect to unveil the finished budget in mid-June.