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
________________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 23, 2011.
________________________________
Secretary of the Senate
________________________________
Member, Texas Senate