Rep. Bledsoe offered the following resolution:

House Resolution No. 264. 

            A resolution to declare April 2010 as Student Athlete Cardiac Awareness Month in the state of Michigan. 

            Whereas, There have been at least 41 deaths of student athletes due to sudden cardiac arrest and related causes in the state of Michigan since December of 1999; and

Whereas, One of those students was 15-year old Kimberly Anne Gillary, whose life was tragically lost as a result of a sudden cardiac arrest in a high school water polo game on

April 1, 2000; and

Whereas, The Gillary family founded the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation in April, 2000 in Kimberly’s memory to donate Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to Michigan high schools and to advocate cardiac screening and testing of all Michigan high school student athletes; and

            Whereas, As of February 1, 2010, the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation has raised more than $1 million and has donated more than 500 AEDs to Michigan high schools; and

            Whereas, There have been at least two lives saved using AEDs donated by the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation to Michigan high schools: On October 24, 2007, the life of 17-year old Ashley Palmer was saved at Davison High School due to the quick thinking and training of Davison High School staff members after Ashley suffered a sudden cardiac arrest; and on April 22, 2009, 67-year old Larry Ratkowski was saved at Hamilton High School while a spectator at a high school baseball game due to the quick thinking and training of the Hamilton High School Principal, the Athletic Trainer, one of the students, and a Deputy Sheriff; and

Whereas, In large part as a result of the efforts of the Kimberly Anne Gillary Foundation, approximately 75% of the high schools in Michigan now have at least one AED and staff members trained in CPR and the use of an AED, and there is an increased awareness of the importance of more effective pre-participation cardiac screening of our high school student athletes and of having AEDs readily accessible in Michigan high schools; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare April 2010 as Student Athlete Cardiac Awareness Month in the state of Michigan; and be it further

Resolved, That the people of the state of Michigan are hereby encouraged to become more aware of the importance of improved pre-participation screening of our student athletes and of the preparedness of our citizenry and public employees to respond to the sudden cardiac arrest of our sons and daughters while entrusted to our public schools in the course of our sons’ and daughters’ education; and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage the Michigan High School Athletic Association to implement nationally applied standards for the pre-screening of prospective student athletes for conditions that may put them at risk of cardiac arrest.