Josh Miller HEARTS Act: Nearly nine years ago, 15-year-old sophomore Josh Miller died after collapsing from sudden cardiac arrest during the final game of the 2000 football season at his high school in Barberton, Ohio. Prompt defibrillation is the only known treatment for sudden cardiac arrest, but in Josh’s case, potentially life-saving care was delayed because there was no automated external defibrillator (AED) at the sports field.

The death of Miller, an honor student known for his sense of humor, shook the community. A football player at a nearby Catholic school had collapsed and died of a similar cardiac crisis during a game just two weeks earlier.

US Rep. Betty Sutton, sponsor of Josh Miller HEARTS Act

Josh’s story inspired U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, also from Barberton, to repeatedly advocate for a federal grant program to fund AEDs and AED/CPR training for schools. She sponsored HR 1380, the Josh Miller HEARTS (Helping Everyone Access Responsive Treatment in Schools) Act, which on June 2 passed the U.S. House of Representatives. It now goes to the Senate, with support from the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, American Federation of Teachers, Heart Rhythm Society, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Education Association, National Safety Council, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Coalition.

Sutton spoke before the House on June 2, citing the story behind the legislation:

“I introduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act in memory of a young man from my hometown of Barberton, Ohio. To know Josh Miller was to know a kindhearted and generous young man with limitless potential. Josh was a Barberton High School sophomore with a 4.0 grade point average, the son of proud parents Ken and Geri Miller. He was a linebacker who dreamed of playing football for Ohio State someday. He was the kind of kid who could walk into a room and light it up.

But one day, without warning, his dreams were cut short. Josh never showed any signs of heart trouble; but while playing football for his school in 2000, he collapsed after leaving the field.

And by the time his heart was shocked with an automated external defibrillator, it was too late to save him.

Josh suffered a sudden cardiac arrest which, according to the American Heart Association, claims the lives of nearly 300,000 Americans every year. Josh’s death was devastating not only to his family but to our entire community.

Like Josh, the vast majority of these individuals who suffer sudden cardiac arrest do not display any prior signs of heart trouble.

Yet there is an easy-to-use, relatively inexpensive piece of medical equipment that more than doubles the odds of survival for someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest.

An AED is the single most effective treatment for starting the heart after a sudden cardiac arrest.

And because the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 percent for every minute that passes, every second is critical.”

Ohio Senators George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown jointly reintroduced the Josh Miller HEARTS Act in the Senate. It is currently in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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