WHEREAS, The year 2023 was a flashpoint for sudden cardiac arrest awareness in the United States with several high-profile incidents occurring, including incidents in California, and dozens of new state and federal laws being introduced to combat gaps in heart safety; and

WHEREAS, according to the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), California has the highest number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, with 31,500 people stricken in 2022, including hundreds of youth; and

WHEREAS, California has one of the lowest sudden cardiac arrest survival rates at just 7.8 percent, well below the national average of 9.3 percent; and

WHEREAS, Californias communities are still unprepared to respond to a cardiac emergency, as evidenced by the fact that just 41 percent of California sudden cardiac arrest victims receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation from a bystander and only 9.6 percent receive a shock from a publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED); and

WHEREAS, Those outcomes are even lower for Black or Hispanic persons or in Black or Hispanic communities; and

WHEREAS, There is a persistent lack of awareness about what sudden cardiac arrest is, that a victims heart has stopped beating and they have stopped breathing, making immediate intervention in the first three to five minutes critical;

WHEREAS, Communities that employ a Call-Push-Shock culture to empower bystanders to call 911, start hands-only CPR, and use the nearest AED have higher survival rates; and

WHEREAS, Communities that empower all ages, especially youth, to deliver hands-only CPR can triple a victims chance of survival and communities that make AEDs readily available to be used by a bystander in the first minutes of a victims collapse can increase the survival rate up to 90 percent; and

WHEREAS, Prior to a cardiac event, warning signs and family risk factors of a heart condition that can cause sudden cardiac arrest often go unrecognized or unreported, which is why it is important to obtain a comprehensive cardiac risk assessment, especially in youth where an evolved standard of care is critically needed; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate hereby proclaims October to be Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month in California, a foundation from which to build a culture of prevention at home, in school, on the field, with our medical providers, in the workplace, and throughout our diverse communities by emphasizing the critical need to identify heart conditions through early detection screening, and encouraging cardiac emergency response planning to empower citizens to Call-Push-Shock in a cardiac emergency, to affect an increase in sudden cardiac arrest survival in California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

WHEREAS, The year 2023 was a flashpoint for sudden cardiac arrest awareness in the United States with several high-profile incidents occurring, including incidents in California, and dozens of new state and federal laws being introduced to combat gaps in heart safety; and

WHEREAS, according to the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), California has the highest number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, with 31,500 people stricken in 2022, including hundreds of youth; and

WHEREAS, California has one of the lowest sudden cardiac arrest survival rates at just 7.8 percent, well below the national average of 9.3 percent; and

WHEREAS, Californias communities are still unprepared to respond to a cardiac emergency, as evidenced by the fact that just 41 percent of California sudden cardiac arrest victims receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation from a bystander and only 9.6 percent receive a shock from a publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED); and

WHEREAS, Those outcomes are even lower for Black or Hispanic persons or in Black or Hispanic communities; and

WHEREAS, There is a persistent lack of awareness about what sudden cardiac arrest is, that a victims heart has stopped beating and they have stopped breathing, making immediate intervention in the first three to five minutes critical;

WHEREAS, Communities that employ a Call-Push-Shock culture to empower bystanders to call 911, start hands-only CPR, and use the nearest AED have higher survival rates; and

WHEREAS, Communities that empower all ages, especially youth, to deliver hands-only CPR can triple a victims chance of survival and communities that make AEDs readily available to be used by a bystander in the first minutes of a victims collapse can increase the survival rate up to 90 percent; and

WHEREAS, Prior to a cardiac event, warning signs and family risk factors of a heart condition that can cause sudden cardiac arrest often go unrecognized or unreported, which is why it is important to obtain a comprehensive cardiac risk assessment, especially in youth where an evolved standard of care is critically needed; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate hereby proclaims October to be Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month in California, a foundation from which to build a culture of prevention at home, in school, on the field, with our medical providers, in the workplace, and throughout our diverse communities by emphasizing the critical need to identify heart conditions through early detection screening, and encouraging cardiac emergency response planning to empower citizens to Call-Push-Shock in a cardiac emergency, to affect an increase in sudden cardiac arrest survival in California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

 THIRD READING 

Bill No: SR 98

Author: Jones (R) and Becker (D)

Introduced: 5/21/24

Vote: Majority

SUBJECT: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month

SOURCE: Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation

DIGEST:

This resolution proclaims October to be Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month in California, a foundation from which to build a culture of prevention at home, in school, on the field, with our medical providers, in the workplace, and throughout our diverse communities by emphasizing the critical need to identify heart conditions through early detection screening, and encouraging cardiac emergency response planning to empower citizens to Call-Push-Shock in a cardiac emergency, to affect an increase in sudden cardiac arrest survival in California.

ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1. According to the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), California has the highest number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, with 31,500 people stricken in 2022, including hundreds of youth.
2. California has one of the lowest sudden cardiac arrest survival rates at just 7.8 percent, well below the national average of 9.3 percent.
3. California’s communities are still unprepared to respond to a cardiac emergency, as evidenced by the fact that just 41 percent of California sudden cardiac arrest victims receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation from a bystander and only 9.6 percent receive a shock from a publicly accessible automated external defibrillator (AED).
4. Communities that employ a Call-Push-Shock culture to empower bystanders to call 911, start hands-only CPR, and use the nearest AED have higher survival rates.

This resolution proclaims October to be Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month in California, a foundation from which to build a culture of prevention at home, in school, on the field, with our medical providers, in the workplace, and throughout our diverse communities by emphasizing the critical need to identify heart conditions through early detection screening, and encouraging cardiac emergency response planning to empower citizens to Call-Push-Shock in a cardiac emergency, to affect an increase in sudden cardiac arrest survival in California.

Comments

According to the author:

Senate Resolution 98 designates October as Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month and raises awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), an issue that is prevalent in our state.. SCA differs from a traditional heart attack in that it occurs when the heart suddenly malfunctions and stops beating, rather than from a blockage of blood flow to the heart. SCA is the leading cause of death among student athletes, claiming an estimated 23,000 children under 18 each year in the US. Despite advances in medical technology over the past several decades, California’s SCA survival rate remains alarmingly low at just 7.8%, well below the national average of 9.3%. Warning signs and familial risk factors from heart conditions that may cause SCA often go unrecognized or unreported, underscoring the need for comprehensive cardiac risk assessments, particularly among our youth. SR 98 would promote a culture of awareness for SCA prevention and screening in the State of California.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/24/24)

Eric Paredes Save a Life Foundation (source)

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/24/24)

None received

Prepared by: Russell Manning / SFA / (916) 651-1520

5/29/24 14:40:13

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