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SR 8610

Recognizing the rise of cardiovascular disease as the world's leading cause of death and disability and supporting the recognition of February 2025 as "American Heart Month."

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Matt Boehnke and 4 co-sponsors

Washington proclaims Feb 2025 American Heart Month to boost CPR/AED training and bystander action, aiming to improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Adopted.
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Bill Summary · SR 8610

Summary of Washington Senate Resolution SR 8610 (American Heart Month)

Overview

  • Bill type: Senate Resolution (non-binding)
  • Bill number: SR 8610
  • Status: Adopted
  • Introduced: February 24, 2025
  • Sponsors: Senators Harris, Goehner, Torres, Boehnke, and Wagoner

Purpose and Intent

  • Recognize cardiovascular disease as a leading public health concern and elevate awareness of its impact.
  • Promote February 2025 as American Heart Month in the state of Washington.
  • Encourage public engagement in life-saving responses to cardiac events, including early 911 activation, high-quality bystander CPR, and AED use.
  • Align with the American Heart Association’s goal to “double the survival from cardiac arrest by 2030” by empowering bystanders to act.

Key Provisions and Provisions of Impact

  • Preamble recognizing scope of problem: The resolution cites the daily toll of cardiac arrest outside hospitals, including numbers of incidents, locations (home vs. others), survival rates, and pediatric cases.
    • Examples cited: more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually in the U.S., about 70% occur at home, survival rate around 1 in 10 without immediate intervention.
    • Pediatric focus: more than 23,000 children under 18 experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the U.S., with roughly 40% sports-related.
  • Support for lifesaving actions: Emphasizes that immediate CPR can double or triple survival chances and notes that only about 46% of bystanders currently provide CPR before responders arrive.
  • Solutions highlighted: Awareness, education, cardiac emergency response planning, CPR training, and AED accessibility/training.
  • Call to action for households: Encourages households to become part of the “Nation of Lifesavers” and learn CPR.
  • Proclamation of American Heart Month: The Senate proclaims February 2025 as American Heart Month to reinforce these priorities.

Who is Affected

  • Primarily a public recognition and awareness measure affecting residents of Washington, public health organizations, community groups, schools, and workplaces that may use the resolution to promote CPR/AED training and emergency response planning.
  • Non-binding guidance; no new mandates or funding are created by this resolution.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Adopted date: February 24, 2025, the same date introduced.
  • Nature: Ceremonial/educational proclamation; non-enforceable, non-funding resolution.
  • No subsequent action or deadlines are specified beyond the annual recognition of American Heart Month.

Context and Rationale

  • The resolution complements national public health efforts to reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke by fostering bystander intervention during cardiac emergencies.
  • By framing February 2025 as American Heart Month, the measure aims to catalyze community engagement in CPR training and AED readiness, contributing to the broader goal of increasing survival rates from cardiac arrest.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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