03/07/2005 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES

          SB 4-REQUIRE CPR FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:15:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON announced SB 4 to be up for consideration.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
RUTH KELLER, staff  to Senator John Cowdery, said  the bill would                                                               
require  all  students in  the  Alaska  public school  system  be                                                               
certified in  basic first  aid and  CPR in  order to  qualify for                                                               
graduation. It is  well known that CPR administrated  in a timely                                                               
manner increases the survivability  rate of the victim. Knowledge                                                               
of what to do  is as important as knowledge of what  not to do in                                                               
many first  aid situations such  as those involving  body fluids.                                                               
CPR and  first aid  skills are  particularly important  in Alaska                                                               
where medical care is often less accessible than elsewhere.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Cowdery   believes  local  fire   departments,  homeland                                                               
security funds, and volunteers could  be employed to minimize the                                                               
cost of training.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DYSON  understood the  attached fiscal  note to  show there                                                               
would be  no fiscal impact  from this  bill. He asked  Ms. Keller                                                               
how school  districts could train  students in CPR and  first aid                                                               
without creating a significant financial impact.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS.  KELLER informed  the committee  about a  program called  the                                                               
Alaska  Citizen Corps  Council that  would train  volunteers with                                                               
homeland security  funding. Fire  chiefs in Anchorage  said their                                                               
departments might also be able to train students.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
UWE KALENKA  testified in support of  SB 4. His son  was mortally                                                               
wounded behind the knee and died  within a mile of a fire station                                                               
and a hospital  as a result of bleeding. Had  his son known first                                                               
aid he could have saved his own life.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:24:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELTON said he is  interested in what the school districts                                                               
think about the bill.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GREEN  remarked in her  tenure the Legislature  has never                                                               
acted upon  an effort  to change  the state's  curriculum because                                                               
that  authority  goes  to  the  State  Board  of  Education.  She                                                               
hesitated to support legislative changes to the curriculum.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OLSON  said his district  did not have  medically trained                                                               
volunteers available to train students.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  DYSON held  SB  4  in committee.  There  being no  further                                                               
business to come  before the committee, he  adjourned the meeting                                                               
at 3:25:51 PM.