LAS VEGAS, NV -- The Smart Heart Sports Coalition, represented by the National Football League (NFL), the American Heart Association (AHA), and Damar Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, joined together with officials from the Nevada Department of Education and the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) to announce Chasing M’s Foundation’s donation of AEDs to all Title I high schools in Nevada.
In a press conference today from NFL’s Super Bowl Experience in Las Vegas, coalition partners underscored their shared commitment to work together over the next two years to implement policies that can save the lives of high school athletes who may experience sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). The donation of AEDs to all Nevada Title I high schools, which are schools that receive need-based federal funding, helps to achieve the coalition’s goal of equipping all high school athletic venues across the country with life-saving tools.
“Saving lives from sudden cardiac arrest depends on having a strong chain of survival across the emergency response system. This means immediately activating 911, starting quality CPR compressions, having an AED nearby and using it, having EMS on scene, and ensuring quality hospital care,” said Nancy Brown, AHA CEO. “As the American Heart Association celebrates 100 years of lifesaving work, we are proud to stand alongside the NFL and Damar Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation as founding members of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition to advocate for evidence-based policies that will save lives among high school students who suffer sudden cardiac arrest.”
The state of Nevada is currently missing two of the three best-practice, evidence-based policies that the coalition is advocating for across all 50 states: (1) Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for each high school athletic venue that are widely distributed, posted, rehearsed, and updated annually, and (2) clearly marked AEDs at each athletic venue or within one to three minutes of each venue where high school practices or competitions are held. The coalition will work with the Nevada Department of Education and the NIAA to advance these policies this year and next, when the Nevada Legislature reconvenes in 2025. Nevada already has a policy in place addressing the coalition’s third advocacy goal: mandatory CPR and AED education for all high school coaches.
“We are eager to work side by side with Governor Lombardo’s team, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, the Nevada Legislature, and policymakers across the state,” said Jeff Miller, Executive Vice President at the NFL. “We want to ensure that Nevada has all the policies needed to ensure that high school communities can immediately and effectively respond to a cardiac arrest that might occur on a field, court, track, pool or any other venue where high school athletes play, practice, and compete. By being better prepared for a cardiac emergency, our schools can increase the likelihood that a sudden cardiac arrest does not result in a sudden cardiac death.”
“I am honored to join with the Smart Heart Sports Coalition and the American Heart Association, as we work to save lives,” said Damar Hamlin, founder of Chasing M’s Foundation. “When I experienced cardiac arrest last January, people from all around the world donated to my charity to support my journey. Today, Chasing M’s Foundation is excited to give back by providing an AED to every Title I high school in the state of Nevada. As my experience has shown us, AEDs save lives. On behalf of the thousands of people who donated, I’m honored to provide this life-saving technology to schools, knowing it will protect kids for years to come.”
“The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association is committed to implementing the policies of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition to protect our student athletes,” said Kevin McPartlin, member of the NIAA. “Today, Nevada coaches receive CPR and AED education, and the NIAA is working on guidance to ensure that each athletic venue has an AED and Emergency Action Plan in place. We want to thank the Chasing M’s Foundation and the NFL for their support.”
“On behalf of the State of Nevada, the Department of Education, and Governor Joe Lombardo, I want to thank the Chasing M's Foundation and the Smart Heart Sports Coalition for their generous donation,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Nevada Department of Education. “The State of Nevada is committed to protecting Nevada student athletes and is proud to support the coalition’s efforts to promote policies for the health and safety of our youth.”
In addition to the AED donations, the coalition announced it is working on a program to provide an AED bundle, including AED devices and accessories, at a discount to high schools across the country to help defray the financial commitment of securing this life-saving equipment.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is a proud member of the Coalition.
Learn more at NFL.com/SmartHeart.
SOURCE: Smart Heart Sports Coalition