This week, Hochul announced that the state would be establishing rules for monitoring students who show signs of cardiac arrest, as well as new treatments for the problem following a push from a mother whose son died playing basketball at school in 2009.
At 17 years old, Dominic Murray collapsed and died on the basketball court at Farmingdale State College.
According to his family, no one knew that Murray suffered from a congenital heart defect that went undetected by conventional medical clearance standards.
“Sudden cardiac arrest is the (number one) killer of student-athletes and the leading cause of death on school campuses,” according to the Dominic Murray Memorial Foundation. “Sudden cardiac arrest is not rare. Sudden cardiac arrest is preventable. Kids don’t have to die! Law, not luck saves lives.
“Thank you Governor Kathy Hochul for signing Dominic’s Law to protect the students of New York State! It’s been a long time coming.”
Under the new law, the State Education Department will review information from the state Department of Health-related to students who have shown symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest.
The information will be posted on the department's website and included in a permission or consent form that would be required for a student to participate in sports in the future.
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