ESTERO, Fla. — Starting next year, Florida high school athletes will need to undergo an additional medical test before they can compete: an electrocardiogram, or EKG.
Fox 4's Eric Lovelace tells us about the new law:
The new state law, known as the "Second Chance Act," honors Chance Gainer, a football player who suddenly died on the field due to an undetected heart condition.
"An EKG looks at the electrical signals in the heart," said Dr. Eric Eason, who hopes the requirement will help prevent similar tragedies.
The test can "pick up sudden, preventable, cardiac arrest issues" before they become life-threatening, Eason said.
How the new requirement works
One EKG test will cover a high school athlete for all four years of their athletic career.
The test isn't pass or fail, if a doctor detects something abnormal, they would call for additional testing and further evaluation. The law aims to "pick up these issues before an event happens on the field," he said.
"It'd be a very well thought out process," Eason said.
Community support for athlete safety
Parents and educators are welcoming the new safety measure, despite the additional step required for student athletes.
"It may be an inconvenience for some kids, but it may be that thing that saves a kid's life," said Kennith Hawkins, a parent and educator.
Hawkins also said, Friday night football games remain "one of the biggest things to build school spirit," but the new law adds an important layer of protection for young athletes before they take the field.
