TITLE
WITHDRAWN
Recommendation to request City Manager to communicate the City's support for Assembly Bill 1719, which requires school districts and charter schools serving students in grades 9 through 12 to offer instruction in compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as part of a required course, commencing in the 2018-19 school year.
DISCUSSION
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating; and, over 350,000 people in the United States experience out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests annually. However, many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was invented in 1960 and is an emergency technique that involves the manual application of chest compressions and ventilation which provides oxygen to the brain and heart of patients in cardiac arrest until advanced help arrives. 80 percent of cardiac arrest incidents occur at home; thus, if an individual is called upon to perform CPR, the life saved is more likely to be a spouse, child, parent, or friend.
Nine out of ten people who experience a cardiac arrest incident will not survive; however, if CPR is administered, a victim's chance of survival can double. CPR has evolved from a technique performed by physicians and other healthcare professionals to a simple skill that anyone can learn in a matter of 30 minutes, including children.
Establishing CPR as part of a required course in high school will have immediate and positive public health impacts throughout the State, while also teaching youth an invaluable skill that can be used to save the life of a loved one or bystander.
There is no registered opposition to the bill.
AB 1719 is currently in the Senate Committee Appropriations. The Legislative Session ends on August 31, so timely action on the legislation is important.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
AL AUSTIN
COUNCILMAN, EIGHTH DISTRICT
STACY MUNGO
COUNCILWOMAN, FIFTH DISTRICT