A New Jersey Congressman is introducing legislation to combat a condition he says is the leading cause of death at schools.
Congressman Frank Pallone says student athletes are especially at risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest and he believes raising awareness about it would encourage schools to screen them for the disease.
"There are not necessarily signs that would indicate to parents that it's a problem. The kid that died at Holmdel High School had no symptoms or anything from what we can detect. So really it has to be something that you just do routinely without having any indication of the problem."
Pallone's bill would require federal health officials to develop informational materials about Sudden Cardiac Arrest for distribution to school administrators, coaches, and parents.
It also calls for national guidelines on the placement of life-saving defibrillators in schools.
“We’ve had a lot of time spent in Congress with this Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare. I’m hoping that’s behind us now and we spend some time on some of these public health unmet needs, and this would be one of them.”