Ohio House passes bill requiring heart health training for youth coaches

On Wednesday, the Ohio House overwhelmingly approved a bill designed to make both coaches and student athletes more likely to recognize the signs of potential cardiac trouble (Source: “Ohio House approves mandatory heart-health training for school coaches,” Toledo Blade, Nov. 16, 2016).

Senate Bill 252 is sponsored by Sen. Cliff Hite (R., Findlay), a former high school football coach. It passed the chamber 86-4 with no debate and must return to the Senate for approval of House changes. The Senate won’t return to Columbus until after Thanksgiving, but the bill is expected to reach Gov. John Kasich’s desk before lawmakers close the two-year session in mid-December.

Ohio would join nine other states that have passed similar laws modeled after legislation dealing with athlete concussions.

The bill requires a coach at a school or a youth sports organization to annually undergo training so that they would be more likely to see a problem and pull an athlete from the game. The measure also prohibits an athlete from suiting up until he gets a doctor’s permission if he has experienced fainting spells in the past or if an immediate family member has experienced sudden cardiac arrest.