Whitmer signs bills for new high school CPR, AED requirements during NFL draft

During the NFL draft in Detroit on Saturday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law bills requiring schools to develop more comprehensive cardiac emergency response plans.

"Sports are a fundamental part of who we are in Michigan," said Whitmer at the bill signing ceremony at the Corner Ballpark in Corktown. "It's a fundamental part of life, it brings us together, it teaches us important lessons, but it also can be dangerous, and that's why we are taking these steps to mitigate the likelihood that (the loss of life from a cardiac emergency) happens to people as they are participating in sports."

House Bill 5527 would require schools across Michigan to develop cardiac emergency response plans beginning in the 2025-26 school year that would require establishing an emergency response team, placing automated external defibrillators (AED) through the campus and athletic facilities, the training of school staff and annual simulations to practice executing the plan. House Bill 5528 would require high school coaches to be certified in CPR and the use of an AED.

State lawmakers in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature gave their final approval to both bills Tuesday. The legislation received bipartisan support.

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Alexander Bowerson championed the legislation after he went into sudden cardiac arrest during a wrestling practice at Memphis High School. The cheer coach — an emergency department nurse — performed CPR and used an AED on him. During the ceremony, Bowerson shared that his school's AED had been dead, but that its one remaining shock was enough to save his life.

"Other kids should have this opportunity to have lifesaving equipment, someone who knows what to do," Bowerson said in a statement following the passage of the bills in the state Legislature. "These bills will do that."

State Rep. John Fitzgerald, D-Wyoming, took to the podium to memorialize metro Detroit teen athletes who have lost their lives due to cardiac arrest when their schools didn't have a working AED or anyone who knew how to use it.

"The chances of surviving cardiac arrest would have been greatly improved by an AED device, had it been readily available," said Fitzgerald. "Today, with this legislation, we're going to turn tragedies into success stories, opportunities, into new life for our communities across the state."

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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin joined Whitmer for the bill signing ceremony. Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the 2022 season and has since started the Chasing M's Foundation to advocate for better access to AEDs and CPR training.

"The reason I'm able to be here with you all at the NFL draft in Detroit is because, in my case, medical professionals knew CPR and they knew how to use an AED," said Hamlin. "I hate to say it, but not everyone will have that luxury of being around a medical professional, but what we can do is make sure that we give ourselves the chance to be equipped with the tools necessary to save a life."

He announced that the Chasing M's Foundation would be partnering with the NFL Foundation to donate 60 AEDs, worth more than $120,000, to 50 high schools around Michigan.

"Like I always say, knowing CPR and how to use an AED is equivalent to a superpower," Hamlin said. "All superheroes do is run around town saving peoples' lives, so to be able to have that tool in your back pocket should be like being able to be a superhero. By learning CPR and how to use an AED, you're taking the initiative today to learn a superpower."

The CEO of the American Heart Association, Nancy Brown, whose organization advocated for the legislation, joined Whitmer for the bill signing ceremony Saturday.

"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,” Brown said in a statement.

After the ceremony, draft guests were invited to step to the side and learn how to save lives with hands-only CPR simulations taught by the American Heart Association team.

14-year-old Jonathan Barnett was one of the first in line, shortly dropping to the ground to learn how to interlock his fingers and pump a heart back in the case that someone around him goes into cardiac arrest.

His mother, Jennifer Barnett, said it was an important skill for him to learn because heart issues run in their family.

"I've said, 'What happens if your dad falls down, or your grandfather falls down when you're with him? Are you just going to let him die, or are you going to jump in there and (perform CPR)?' That is really important," she said. "We've had more young people having cardiac arrest...And it's like, if you can be there and have what we need for these kids to survive, then do it."

Staff writer Christina Hall contributed with prior reporting.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer signs cardiac emergency bills at Day 3 of NFL draft