DeWine signs bill requiring AEDs in all schools, community centers

A new Ohio law will require automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which are used during a cardiac emergency, to be placed in all public and private schools in Ohio (Source: “New law requires AEDs in all schools, community centers to prevent student athlete death,” Dayton Daily News, July 25).

The AEDs are also required in all municipally owned or operated sports and recreation venues, where student athletes often play. The devices are used in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, the number one killer of student-athletes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Under prior law, AEDs were permitted, but not required. Under the new law, AEDs are mandated, and the Ohio Department of Health is required to develop a model emergency action plan for schools to use them.