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"A win for athletic trainers" Bill to update Ohio practice act awaits governor's signature

Published By Local12 on September 29, 2021
Cindy Abrams In The News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) - A state representative called Wednesday a win for athletic trainers and athletes across Ohio. That’s because a bill involving athlete health and safety is headed to the governor’s desk.

House Bill 176 will update the practice act for athletic trainers for the first time in 30 years to better reflect their current training and education.

Local 12's "Athletes AT Risk?" project has been following the bill for two years and we were on the House floor Wednesday when the bill passed with the Senate’s amendment with a 92-0 vote.

“Today is a great day to understand that the training and education that athletic trainers are receiving on a daily basis and, in some aspects, is now going to be shown in these sporting events,” Rep. Thomas Hall said.

Currently, athletic trainers aren’t allowed to provide lifesaving measures like providing an EpiPen, inhaler, glucagon or even Tylenol because of the language of the current practice act.

The revised version of the practice act would allow athletic trainers to do what they are already taught and trained for in school and apply that to the sidelines they work on. Athletic trainers are considered the health care providers of the sideline, but with the current practice act, they are often asked to choose between their license and providing the proper health care.

The bill has had quite a journey. It originally was House Bill 484 during the 133rd General Assembly. It was introduced in the second year of a two-year session by local representatives Cindy Abrams (Harrison-R) and Rick Carfagna (Genoa Township-R).

That bill quickly passed through the House but was never heard by the Senate Health Committee, largely because it was dealing with coronavirus-related legislation in the fall of 2020.

The new general assembly began in January 2021 and the bill was reintroduced as House Bill 176 by Carfagna and local representative Thomas Hall (Madison Township-R).

It again passed unanimously through the House Health Committee (16-0) and then off the House floor (95-0). Then, it was referred to the Senate Health Committee where a slight amendment was made that prohibits athletic trainers from being able to inject into a tendon or ligament. It passed out of the Senate’s health committee with a 5-1 vote, then off the Senate floor (31-1).

Because of the amendment, the bill had to go back to the House for concurrence, or that they agreed with the change to the bill.

 
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