CPR training eyed as high school grad requirement

A bill before the state Legislature would require all Bay State high school students to become CPR and AED certified before they graduate bringing Massachusetts in line with the majority of states According to state Senate Minority Leader Sen Bruce Tarr An Act requiring instruction in CPR and the use of defibrillators for high school graduation was inspired by and cosponsored by a constituent whose life was saved by CPR when she was eight years old and nearly died after a choking event There are too plenty of lives lost Tarr mentioned because a lack of adequate CPR training often leaves bystanders unable to help in an crisis The compelling nature of this is indisputable Over out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States every year and of those only about of the casualties receive help from a bystander in the form of CPR prior to EMS arrival he announced Bystander intervention Tarr described his colleagues on the Joint Committee on Tuition during a hearing on Monday can greatly increase the odds of a cardiac arrest victim surviving the therapeutic urgency It increases the chances of survival by a factor of two to three times he explained For that reason the Gloucester lawmaker revealed it is imperative that Massachusetts build a generation of trained and capable bystanders ready to step in and save a life High schoolers in Massachusetts already receive specific training on CPR and mobile defibrillators during the lesson of their schooling it s part of the state s curriculum but certification is not a requirement Massachusetts joins seven other U S states in not requiring CPR certification as a graduation requirement It s time for that to change that outlier status the Senate Minority Leader noted This bill and others like it before the committee would seek to codify that and ensure that it is a requirement for graduation he announced Tarr s young constituent Newburyport high school aspirant Madeleine Elizabeth Jackman introduced herself to the committee as the cosponsor of the bill which she mentioned she s advocating for after one of the scariest moments she s ever faced Jackman recounted lawmakers that when she was an eight year old she began to choke while out with family members She explained the choking wasn t the scary part rather what frightened her was that none of the adults around her knew what to do It was only through the intervention of a stranger an off-duty nurse Jackman noted that she was provided the healing she needed to survive There is a lack of CPR training among the population and though I was lucky it could cost lives she disclosed