Res. No. 1205
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to amend the Education Law to require more than one school staff person to be trained to administer CPR at all schools during regular school hours.
By Council Members Eugene, Jackson, James, Koo, Mark-Viverito, Nelson, Recchia, Vann, Williams, Wills, Halloran and Ulrich
Whereas, The New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene states that "cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a rescue and basic life-support technique for someone whose heart or breathing has stopped"; and
Whereas, The treatment for cardiac arrest is CPR, followed by the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED); and
Whereas, Whereas, The U.S. National Library of Medicine describes CPR as an emergency technique that combines rescue breathing and chest compressions to manually keep blood and oxygen flowing through the body until further advanced measures can be taken; and
Whereas, Cardiac arrest can occur because of heart disease, heart attacks, respiratory arrest, drowning or choking; and
Whereas, More than 17,000 infants and children are treated in hospitals each year for choking-related incidents, according to healthline.com; and
Whereas, According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "60% of the 17,000 cases of pediatric choking in 2001were caused by food"; and
Whereas, If a victim is not treated within four to five minutes of going into cardiac arrest, his or her chance of survival drops as much as 40%, according to the New York State Red Cross website; and
Whereas, According to the American Heart Association, a bystander who performs CPR immediately after a sudden cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim's chance of survival; and
Whereas, On Friday, December 17, 2011, a fourth grade student at Public School 47 in the Bronx choked on a meatball, which resulted in cardiac arrest; and
Whereas, Various media accounts of the incident raise concerns that school staff did not respond appropriately or in a timely fashion; and
Whereas, Ultimately, the child was unable to be resuscitated and died; and
Whereas, Currently, section 917 of the New York State Education Law requires that at least one staff person who is trained in using an AED be in each public school during school-sponsored curricular or extra-curricular events; and
Whereas, However, the law should be amended to require staff members to be certified not only in using an AED, but also in CPR, and to require more than one staff member to be certified in CPR; and
Whereas, The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross offer combination courses in CPR/ First Aid/ AED training; and
Whereas, The State of New York should take precautionary measures to avoid delays in emergency treatment to ensure the health and well-being of students in public schools; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to amend the Education Law to require more than one school staff person to be trained to administer CPR at all schools during regular school hours.
LS#3171
JHU/JP
1/25/12