From sidelines to state rep: Local lawmaker understands athletic trainers better than most

MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) – 1991: the year that Pete Rose was banned from the Hall of Fame, Rodney King was beaten on the streets of Los Angeles and the end of the USSR. That year was also the last time the Ohio athletic trainer's practice act was updated.

If this sounds familiar, it's because Local 12 told you about Ohio's outdated practice act regarding the health care professionals of the sidelines in 2020. Then a health crisis hit.

Here's what's new: a version of the bill was filed again this general assembly, which began in January.

It's House Bill 176. Rep. Rick Carfagna is still one of the bill's sponsors. Rep. Thomas Hall is the new joint sponsor.

 “1991 is a long time ago,” Rep. Hall said. “I was actually not born in 1991.”

Hall, the youngest member in Ohio's legislature, does understand the importance of health care on the sidelines. While he was campaigning, he was also an assistant basketball coach at Madison High School.

“Thomas has always thought about his community,” Matt Morrison, Madison’s athletic director, said. “That is something always in the forefront of his mind.”

On the sidelines of his alma mater, he learned about some of the obstacles that athletic trainers face.

“We really need to make sure that the standards and that the practice act as a whole is updated to their training and their education that they receive currently,” Hall said.

Athletic trainers are trained on how to respond to everything from concussions to sudden cardiac arrest. That includes emergencies like an athlete having an allergic reaction. This bill would allow athletic trainers to give expanded emergency medical care like injections of EpiPens or inhalers.

Cody Cummins is the athletic trainer at Madison.

“If we’re trusting him to deal with sudden cardiac arrest or concussions, which is a brain injury, he should be sufficient enough in training to be able to inject an EpiPen,” Morrison said.

“If I was put in that situation, I’m going to choose life,” said Cummins. “I can always go work somewhere else or do something else if I lose my license, but that kid can never come back to life if I chose to be selfish with my license.”

“I think that’s an important part to this bill is to allow athletic trainers to do their job without fear of breaking a law,” Hall said.

The bill will head to a committee this week.