GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For student-athletes and others, the presence of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) - meant to shock someone's heart back into rhythm during a cardiac emergency - could make the difference between life and death in the event of a cardiac emergency.
"I'm a basketball player myself, so I think it's important because we have a lot of athletes out here that, like, they don't know that they have health issues," Union High School student Nathan Mayfield said. "They've got heart problems, and they're playing games, and some just, like, tragically collapse on the ground, and I don't think that should happen."
It's why Governor Gretchen Whitmer in April signed laws meant to bolster AED presence and response plans in schools as well as put in new requirements that coaches be CPR- and AED-certified.
"As a former coach, as a former educator, you know, I can't say how much this means to our schools and our kids," said State Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Walker).
Following the new laws, the NFL donated 50 AEDs to the state of Michigan in partnership with Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin. Hamlin himself was revived in part due to an AED last year after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game.
On Wednesday, two of those donated AEDs arrived for schools in the Grand Rapids Public Schools system. One will go to Ottawa Hills High School and the other to Union High School.
"I think it's a game changer," GRPS Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby said. "And our hope is that we don't have to use it, of course, but it's some reassurance of if an emergency does take place, it is available in some of our schools for sure."
"It's really a big deal to have this present, and the legislation that's paired with it really gets specific about how it's displayed and how close it is so that people have easy access to it," said State Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids), whose district encompasses Ottawa Hills High School. "So, I think that my colleagues in the legislature did an amazing job on this."
Through discussions in Lansing, some language was changed, including changing the proposed requirement that an AED be available within 1 to 3 minutes of an emergency to instead be a recommendation.
Early in the process, concerns were raised in the legislature about potential liability for schools, given that at least one state lawmaker at the time believed a 1-to-3-minute response could equate to different things depending on various factors.
With the laws now set to have their new provisions put in place for the 2025-2026 school year, Glanville said she sees validity in the transition from requirement to recommendation in relation to this part of the legislation.
"I mean, I would hope there's one here at Houseman Field, but that might mean one less in a school," said Glanville, whose district encompasses Union High School. "And so, it's that timing piece, you know - making sure you have the equipment in the right places where it might most be needed. So, I think it seems appropriate to be a recommendation rather than a requirement so that schools can do the best with the equipment that they have."
But whether recommendation or requirement, Roby made clear that GRPS will continue moving to keep students safe in either instance.
"When you think of something as a recommendation, I always think of it as a best practice," Roby said. "And, let's be fully honest, is if in the midst of an emergency, no one is thinking, 'Is this a requirement, or is this a recommendation?' You're trying to make sure that you're providing support and care for somebody who may be in distress."
"And so, I love that we are leaning into this full-till where we are trying to make sure that we're not waiting for the technical logistics of 'this is a requirement,' that we're saying that we think that our community safety, our scholar safety, our staff safety is more important, and that we're embracing this," she continued. "And so, again, very thankful to the NFL as well as our local representatives for making sure that GRPS was one of the first schools to have this extra support."