Who We Play For Celebrates Passage of Landmark Law to Protect Lives of Student Athletes in Florida
[Cocoa Beach, Florida] — Today, Who We Play For (WWPF), a Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to eliminating preventable sudden cardiac death in the young, proudly announces the passage of the Second Chance Act (Senate Bill 1070). This Act mandates that all first time high school student athletes in Florida undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG) screening before participating in school sports activities.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Second Chance Act into law, making Florida the first state in the nation to advance the standard of cardiac care for student athletes. Inspired by the tragic loss of Chance Gainer, a star high school football player from Port St. Joe who suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) during a high school football game. “This law will save so many lives,” said Gail Gainer, Chance’s mother. “And it’s about time.”
"This legislation is a testament to the relentless efforts of Florida families, healthcare professionals, and advocates who have championed this cause for decades," says Evan Ernst, Executive Director and Co-Founder of WWPF. "We are honored to have contributed to this life-saving initiative and remain committed to ensuring its successful implementation." Who We Play For was proud to join Parent Heart Watch- the national voice on preventing SCA in the young- on this life saving effort.
This bill was brought to life by Senator Corey Simon and Representative Jason Shoaf.
SCA is the number one killer of student athletes, accounting for 75 per cent of all student deaths. One in 300 youth has a detectable heart condition that puts them at risk of SCA. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in young people including competitive athletes and ECG heart screening is considered a gold standard for detecting HCM at approximately 95%.
“This legislation is a testament to what can happen when a community refuses to give up,” said Ralph Maccarone, Chairman of the Board of WWPF and father of Rafe Maccarone who died of SCA from an undiagnosed heart condition at Cocoa Beach High School. “This is for Chance, for Rafe, and for every kid who never had the opportunity. We remain deeply committed to ensuring this law is implemented successfully and lives up to its life-saving promise.”
Many school districts in Florida have already created policies around heart screenings. The results of this movement saved Haley Meche, a student who was diagnosed with HCM, who received care just in time. “I wouldn’t be here today if it was not for Who We Play For,” said Haley.
About Who We Play For (WWPF)
WWPF is a nonprofit organization based in Florida focused on eliminating preventable sudden cardiac death in the young through affordable electrocardiogram (“ECG”) heart screenings and relentless advocacy.
Over the past decade, WWPF has grown into the largest nonprofit of its kind in the United States, providing hundreds of thousands of heart screenings and identifying hundreds of young lives that required immediate and potentially life-saving medical intervention. WWPF has helped to pass +30 laws, educate millions on sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) through policy, train millions in CPR, place thousands of AEDs and ECG machines, and been featured hundreds of times in news outlets such as Good Morning America.
Media Contact
Mary Eva Tredway
Marketing Director
(404)-317-0731
metredway@gmail.com
www.whoweplayfor.org
