Families gathered at Florida State College at Jacksonville’s downtown campus Saturday for a community wellness event that offered a variety of health services, including free EKG screenings for children and young adults.
The screenings come ahead of Florida’s Second Chance Act, a new law set to take effect July 1. The law requires EKG screenings for incoming ninth-grade student-athletes and first-time high school athletes before they can participate in school sports.
Among those taking advantage of the free screenings was Teresa Radicevich, who brought her son. He will be a freshman this fall and participates in football, basketball and track.
“I think it’s important for parents to know,” Radicevich said. “Make sure their kids are healthy because you know when you do your standard yearly physical, and EKG is not included.”
Radicevich said she’s a fan of the new law, and immediately signed her son up for a screening.
“Well, as soon as I heard that they were passing a law that this was required, it made my heart very happy,” said Radicevich.
She also encouraged other parents to consider getting their children screened.
“You hear these stories about these, you know, tragedies and it’s just heartbreaking as a mother, and so we immediately signed up to get this done,” Radicevich said.
Organizers say EKG screenings can help identify underlying heart conditions that may otherwise go undetected, potentially preventing life-threatening emergencies among young athletes.
For Radicevich, the screening offered peace of mind before her son begins high school sports.
“Making sure that your child is healthy when they’re playing any sport is the main concern because you don’t wanna see anybody get hurt,” she said.
The new screening requirement takes effect July 1 for eligible student-athletes across Florida.