Lindsay's Law
Subscribe to our Newsletter![](https://my.llfiles.com/00154592/YSYBB-logo-trans-NEW-small.gif)
Lindsay’s Law: Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Youth Athletes
Lindsay’s Law is named for national heart health advocate and former Miss Ohio Lindsay Davis who suffers from a heart condition. She has since dedicated her career to raising awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA, a potentially fatal condition. The law is detailed in Ohio Revised Code , and and went into effect in 2017.
What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest? A Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, cutting off blood flow to the brain and other vital organs. Sudden cardiac arrest is fatal if not treated immediately, most often by a defibrillator.
"Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student athletes," said Davis. "At any moment I could have died because coaches and teachers had no idea this was even a possibility for someone who looked as healthy as I did at that age."
In accordance with this law, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and other stakeholders jointly developed guidelines and other relevant materials to inform and educate students and youth athletes participating in or desiring to participate in an athletic activity, their parents, and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.
How does this impact Yellow Springs Youth Baseball?
This law does apply to us and other youth sports organizations in Ohio. Coaches, players and parents are required to complete the following training requirements:
Coach Training Requirements
Ohio law (Revised Code 3707.58) for youth sports organizations states: “No individual shall
coach an athletic activity organized by a youth sports organization unless the individual has
completed, on an annual basis, the sudden cardiac arrest training course approved by the
department of health.”
The approved coach's training must be completed annually and includes:
(1) viewing the coach video found here, and
(2) reading the coach handout found here
Parent/Youth Athlete Training Requirements
Parents and youth athletes must complete a similar training and submit a form acknowledging completion of the training each calendar year to each youth sports organization that organizes an athletic activity in which the youth athlete participates.
The approved training must be completed annually and includes:
(1) viewing the parent/athlete video found here, and
(2) reading the parent/athlete handout found here, and
(3) completing and submitting the Parent/Athlete signature form found here.
Online registrations will include an electronic signature provision for the parent and youth athlete's acknowledgement they have viewed the video and read the handout. Manual registrations will require the parnet/guardian and youth athlete's signature on the hardcopy form.
The Coach's and Parent Athlete Informational Handouts have also been posted here on our website at the following links.
Coach's Required SCA Informational Handout
Parent/Guardian and Youth Athlete's Required SCA Informational Handout