chanel
Silver Member
Sen. Fred. H. Madden (D., Gloucester) said that on Thursday he would introduce the first of several bills to follow recommendations of the New Jersey Student Athlete Cardiac Screening Task Force, established in 2010 by legislation that Madden also sponsored. The task force report, made public in April, does not recommend electrocardiograms for all as part of the routine physicals required before students participate in school sports. Rather, it advocates doing a more thorough job of obtaining family medical histories to flag genetic heart defects and providing specialized training for the physicians and advanced-practice nurses who conduct sports physicals so they are vigilant for possible cardiac problems.
Student athletes whose family histories and medical exams place them at greater risk would then become candidates for electrocardiograms. The report also recommends requiring health-insurance plans to cover annual sports physicals focused on cardiac and musculoskeletal health. It also recommends having automatic external defibrillators close at hand during practice and competition and training coaches, teachers, athletes, and others involved in school sports how to use them.
Bill would expand athletes’ heart testing
100 student athletes die each year due to heart problems. I believe there was one in NJ last year.
Price tag?
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