Lawmakers Discuss Bill To Require AEDs At School Athletic Practices, Events

STATEHOUSE — A bill that would require schools to have AEDs at the ready during athletic practices and events is advancing in the State Senate. The bill, championed by State Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger), is promoted as a bill that she said will save millions of lives of student-athletes around the state. The premise is based […]
Senators propose bill to require AEDs at all Indiana school events, activities

Senate Bill 369 would require all schools to have AEDs at every athletic activity, have a plan in place on how to use them and people there who know how. INDIANAPOLIS — Every morning when Julie West wakes up, she has one thought. “What would Jake want me to do?” West said. Jake was West’s […]
Senate bill would require defibrillators at athletic events

Julie West testifies in a Senate committee hearing on legislation to require automated external defibrillators at every school athletic event. West lost her son Jake to sudden cardiac arrest in 2013. (Indiana General Assembly) Every Indiana school would be required to have an automated external defibrillator, or AED, at every athletic event under a bill that […]
Athletic trainers save lives. But an alarming number of high schools don’t employ them

When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field early in a game against Cincinnati on Jan. 2 and required life-saving CPR, David Silverstein had déjà vu. Silverstein, a certified athletic trainer, now works with the U.S. Army at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, just south of Tacoma, Washington. But two years ago, in January 2021, he […]
Heart screening may not have prevented Hamlin’s collapse

FILE – Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin is examined during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati. Quick on-the-field emergency care from well-rehearsed medical personnel is widely credited with helping save Damar Hamlin’s life. But whether his cardiac arrest could have been prevented is much […]
Kimberly King: NFLer’s on-field collapse stirs memories of Indiana football player

I have a dime-sized scar on my right knee. Whenever I catch a glimpse of it, I remember the night I fell on train tracks while covering a train vs. car crash. I was a rookie reporter, and in that crash, a 16-year-old girl died. I watched as her mother arrived at the scene and […]
The device that may have saved Damar Hamlin not always available for student athletes

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – When Damar Hamlin collapsed, an automated external defibrillator, or AED, was on hand to restart his heart. Unfortunately, not all local schools are equipped to provide that same safety protocol. 0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90% The device that may have saved Damar Hamlin not always available for student athletes (WKRC/Project ADAM/Julie […]
Damar Hamlin collapsed. Indiana mom whose son died of cardiac arrest on football field grieved

Julie West was home Monday night when she got a text from a friend: “Julie, can I call you?” Of course, she responded. Her phone rang. “Are you watching the game?” West’s friend asked. “I just want to forewarn you.” There was something happening on Monday Night Football he didn’t want West to see. West […]
Michiana non-profits see increase in heart screen sign-ups after Bills player collapses on field

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) – The Damar Hamlin situation has the nation talking and some concerned about heart issues. Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest after video showed him and a Bengals receiver colliding during Monday night’s game in Cincinnati. Cardiologists have expressed online their belief that Hamlin suffered commotio cordis – a potentially fatal low-mild chest […]
IFCA honors 2022 ‘Good Works’ team, players and teams who made a difference in communities

The Indiana Football Coaches Association announced its 2022 Good Works team, which recognizes players, groups and entire teams who have committed themselves to serving others. Nominees have served to make a difference in our communities: Joseph Chase, Ethan Gaylor and Ezekiel Sherry, Harrison (West Lafayette) Chase, Gaylor and Sherry volunteered for Jubilee Christmas, a program that collects and […]