In early April, Public Health Bill SB-1083, written by Senator Will Haskell and State Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo, was brought before the senate.
Courageously advocating for the bill was Ridgefield resident Suzanne Brennan who lost her husband, the father to three children, when he waited for EMS at a local health club. Brennan explains, "There was no one at the gym to help him. For every minute that passes, the chance of survival drops 7-10% following a sudden cardiac event."
We learned today from Senator Will Haskell that the bill, requiring health clubs and athletic facilities to maintain an AED and a trained staff person on site, passed!
Brennan remarked, "Father's Day came early! Thank you for making Connecticut gyms safer for our loved ones!"
Making the bill a reality, was a journey recounted by Senator Will Haskell. Here, he explains:
A few months ago, I got a call from a constituent in Ridgefield named Suzanne Brennan.
Suzanne shared her family's story, recounting the tragic loss of her husband due to a cardiac incident. He was working out at a gym at the time, a place where people are statistically more likely to experience heart issues. Although an AED would have likely saved his life, there was no such device on site. Oddly, we require AEDs in schools and golf courses, but not gyms or health clubs.
State Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo and I wrote a bill to change that, and I’m so pleased that SB 1083 passed the Senate last week.
This legislation is about saving lives and preventing future tragedies, and I'm so grateful that Suzanne reached out with this smart idea.