The Eric Paredes Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act requires the State Department of Education to post on its internet website guidelines, videos, and an information sheet on sudden cardiac arrest symptoms and warning signs, and other relevant materials relating to sudden cardiac arrest. The act also places certain duties on schools related to sudden cardiac arrest and requires athletic directors, coaches, athletic trainers, or authorized persons, as defined, to remove from participation a pupil who passes out or faints while participating in or immediately following an athletic activity.

This bill would require the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish the California Youth Cardiac Screening Pilot Program to provide, among other things, free cardiac screening for pupils in grades 5 to 12, inclusive, for the 2027–28 to 2029–30 school years, inclusive, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to administer the program itself or to contract with a nonprofit organization to administer the program and certain funding, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to receive voluntary or reduced-cost services from medical providers and other individuals related to the program. The bill would require the department to annually report certain information to the Department of Finance and to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, and would repeal the bill’s provisions related to the pilot program on January 1, 2031.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death on school campuses.

(b) One in 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. National Emergency Medical Services Information System data estimates that more than 23,000 youth are stricken with cardiac arrest each year.

(c) Fifty percent of sudden cardiac arrest occurs in youth without previous warning signs and youth without a family history that would identify cardiac abnormalities.

(d) For over three decades, the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest has remained below 10 percent.

(e) Youth who survive sudden cardiac arrest may suffer long-term effects and require costly lifetime care, impacting families financially and emotionally.

(f) Families and friends of youth who do not survive suffer enduring emotional impacts, including stress, that require lifelong treatment and care.

(g) Due to sudden cardiac arrest’s significance and impact on the health system, the American Academy of Pediatrics, through their Bright Futures guidelines, is updating its screening criteria for sudden cardiac arrest, indicating that all youth should be screened for heart conditions at least every three years, and especially upon entry into middle and high school.

(h) California has been a leader in encouraging education on sudden cardiac arrest, but the state falls short in ensuring that this education occurs.

(i) The best way to identify all youth at risk of sudden cardiac arrest is through a combination of cardiac risk assessment of unreported symptoms and family history and electrocardiogram screenings.

(j) Recognizing the importance of screening, the United States Congress passed, and President Joseph R. Biden signed, a bill establishing a cardiac screening pilot program for certain United States military academies.

(k) There is a lack of preventative care infrastructure in California to adequately screen for at-risk youth and determine the overall benefits to the health system.

33480.

(a) The department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, shall establish the California Youth Cardiac Screening Pilot Program. The program shall accomplish both of the following:

(1) (A) Provide free cardiac screening for pupils in grades 5 to 12, inclusive, for the 2027–28 to 2029–30 school years, inclusive, to include, at minimum, a cardiac risk assessment of warning signs and family history. The cardiac screening shall be consistent with the most current joint recommendations of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology for screening for cardiovascular disease.

(B) If the cardiac risk assessment conducted pursuant to this paragraph indicates any risk factors, or if advised by the physician and surgeon onsite, further testing shall be conducted, including, but not limited to, an electrocardiogram, with interpretation by a physician and surgeon.

(C) If a pupil is found to be at risk for sudden cardiac arrest after receiving an electrocardiogram test that has been interpreted by a physician and surgeon pursuant to this paragraph, the department or the nonprofit organization administering the program pursuant to subdivision (b) shall ensure that the pupil is referred to a physician and surgeon for further evaluation.

(2) Solicit voluntary participation by private and public schools, including charter schools, for a three-year term to participate in the pilot program. The program shall, from among these voluntary school participants, select a sample that, to the extent practicable, represents the ethnic, economic, and urban and rural composition of the state.

(b) (1) (A) In administering the California Youth Cardiac Screening Pilot Program, the department may elect to contract with a nonprofit organization to administer the program and any funding under this section.

(B) That nonprofit organization shall, pursuant to a timeline and format established by the department, submit annual budgets and actual expenses to the department on an annual basis and shall also report any donations or other funds that assisted the program.

(C) That nonprofit organization shall annually report the number of pupils screened, their ages, the number of cardiac referrals, the economic and ethnic diversity of these pupils, and any other depersonalized data that the department may require to judge the program’s effectiveness, with oversight from a person skilled in electrophysiology interpretation.

(D) The department shall, on or before September 30 of each year, submit a written report on the information required by subparagraph (C) to the Department of Finance and to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature.

(2) If the department chooses to administer the California Youth Cardiac Screening Pilot Program itself, the department shall, on or before September 30 of each year, submit a written report to the Department of Finance and to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature, including the number of pupils screened, their ages, the number of cardiac referrals, and the economic and ethnic diversity of these pupils, with oversight from a person skilled in electrophysiology interpretation.

(c) The department may receive voluntary or reduced-cost services from medical providers and other individuals related to the program.

(d) For purposes of this section, “physician and surgeon” means a person licensed by the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California pursuant to the Medical Practice Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code).

(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed.