§244a Materials and resources to increase education and awareness of cardiomyopathy among school administrators, educators, and families

Summary

Create and share easy-to-understand materials about serious heart conditions in children, teens, and young adults. Within 18 months after December 23, 2024 (by June 23, 2026), the Secretary, working with the CDC Director, must make resources that explain signs, symptoms, and risk factors for high-risk heart conditions and genetic heart-rhythm disorders (including cardiomyopathy; long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, short QT syndrome, and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; and any other high-risk conditions the Secretary picks). The materials must also give guidance on where to place automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools and child care, provide AED and CPR training information, and offer steps for making a school or child care cardiac emergency plan. Within 30 months after December 23, 2024 (by June 23, 2027), these resources must be shared with state education agencies to distribute to school staff and families, with parents (including a cardiomyopathy risk assessment referenced in section 244b(b)(1)), and with health departments, pediatricians, hospitals, nurses, and first responders. The CDC must post the materials online, and states are encouraged to make public web pages about cardiomyopathy. Definitions (one line each): cardiomyopathy — a disease of the heart muscle that can have no symptoms or cause fatigue, irregular heartbeats, heart failure, or sudden death; Director — the Director of the CDC; early childhood education program/elementary school/secondary school — as defined in section 7801 of title 20; school administrator — a principal, director, manager, or leader in a school, state early childhood program, or child care center; school health professional — a health worker serving in those settings.