SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1143

WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to recognize the month of August, 2011, as Student Athlete Heart Screening Month; and

WHEREAS, Safe participation in athletics promotes a healthy lifelong lifestyle for our students that will help combat the epidemic of obesity in Texas; and

WHEREAS, Five or more student athletes die suddenly every year in Texas due to unrecognized high-risk heart conditions that could have been detected with appropriate screening with electrocardiography plus limited echocardiography; and

WHEREAS, One out of every 179 student athletes has a heart condition that puts him or her at risk of sudden cardiac death; and

WHEREAS, Cost-effective screening programs using electrocardiography plus limited echocardiography have been developed by Championship Hearts and endorsed and adopted by the Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiology as a key quality program for the state; the overall cost of the screening required to identify the one student in 179 who is at high risk for sudden cardiac death is only $5,000; and

WHEREAS, An 18-year-old athlete named August Koontz tragically died in 2008 due to unrecognized hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; hypertrophic cardiomypathy is one of the most common conditions that causes sudden cardiac death among student athletes and is easily identified through heart screening; this tragic event led to the creation of a screening program for high school athletes in the San Antonio area called August Heart as an enduring legacy to this young man; and

WHEREAS, A statewide registry, the Texas Adolescent Athlete Heart Screening Registry, has been developed by Championship Hearts and the Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiology to monitor the prevalence of high-risk heart conditions among student athletes and the quality of screening programs throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, Such screening programs and increased awareness are endorsed by Parent Heart Watch, the Texas Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, Championship Hearts Foundation, and the Texas State Athletic Trainer's Association; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd Legislature, hereby declare August of 2011 as Student Athlete Heart Screening Month in Texas; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in honor of this important initiative. Van de Putte

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on May 23, 2011.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate