JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Beginning July 1 of this year, a new Florida law will require all new high school athletes to complete a heart screening before participating in school sports.
On Saturday, student-athletes can receive the test for free.
The required heart screening is an ECG, which is a painless test that can detect an irregular heartbeat, which can be a symptom of an often-fatal heart condition that can cause sudden cardiac death in children.
The first symptom in young people is often cardiac arrest.
News4JAX has brought you several stories during the last five years about seemingly healthy athletes who have died on the field or in the gym from an undiagnosed heart condition that could have been detected if the student-athlete had had an ECG test.
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Evan Ernst, co-founder of Who We Play For, joined me during my 10 a.m. streaming show on News4JAX+ to explain how his organization worked with state legislators to better protect student-athletes from sudden cardiac death by creating the new law.
Press play above to watch the full interview
So far, 270 student-athletes are registered to attend Saturday’s free heart screening event.
Free heart screening details
When: Saturday, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Nemours Children’s Health at 870 Children’s Way in Jacksonville
Who: While the screenings are available for children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 22, organizers are hopeful that 8th-grade student-athletes will take advantage of the free offer to fulfill the requirement under Florida’s Second Chance Act
While registration is not required to attend, you are encouraged to register your student-athlete or child to reduce the time it takes to get the test. Parents should print off the form and bring it with them to the test.