Health clubs are great places to strengthen your cardiovascular system, but
sometimes, getting on that treadmill can actually kill you. It’s fairly rare,
but two people died from heart attacks at health clubs last year, according
to state Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, and at least five others died at hospitals
after collapsing at the gym.
The Physicians’ Health Study at Harvard Medical School found men ages 40 to
64 were 17 times more likely to die during or after hard exercise, though the
numbers were still low – about one death for every 1.5 million workouts.
The high risk, especially for older people, worried McNamara.
ISO 9001:2026: A Practical Opportunity to Build for What’s Next
For Rhode Island manufacturers, ISO 9001 has been much more than a certificate on the…
Learn More
“There’s been a tremendous demographic shift at health clubs,” he said in
an interview. “Where 15 to 20 years ago, it was basically a young group, of
20-somethings, now there’s a much larger demographic of individuals in their
late 40s to late 60s.”
This summer, the General Assembly approved a bill sponsored by McNamara that
mandates that all health clubs registered with the state – as well as all nursing
homes, assisted-living facilities, and swimming pools – have at least one automated
external defibrillator (AED) by Jan. 1, and at least one person trained to use
it on duty at all times.
To ensure every health club complies with the law, the attorney general’s
consumer protection unit has just sent out letters explaining the new requirement,
information on AEDs, a list of six vendors, and a form for owners to sign and
return.
Heart attack victims require very quick treatment, which is why the survival
rate for heart attacks occurring outside of medical facilities is as low as
5 percent; ambulances sometimes just can’t come fast enough. AEDs supplement
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and have been shown to dramatically increase survival
rates.
Common sense
McNamara said because AEDs save lives and are easy
to use, “it’s almost a common-sense issue” to mandate them at high-risk sites.
McNamara said he got the idea after the Pawtucket School Department, where he
is health and wellness coordinator, got AEDs for all its schools, and he learned
about their effectiveness and fast-decreasing cost.
The American Red Cross, Rhode Island Chapter, sells two kinds of Philips defibrillators
priced at $1,995 and $2,595, not including some available discounts, said George
Neubauer, director of preparedness training services.
And a quick Google search produces dozens of other options, priced as low
as $1,075 – though Neubauer said the quality and capabilities of the devices
vary.
“If you compare the cost to the cost of, say, a commercial weight bench, it’s
about the same,” McNamara said. “Any health club that didn’t have one, in my
eyes, would be almost negligent.” The same goes for everyone else covered by
the new law, he said.
The state chapter of the American Heart Association supported the law, and
cited it as one of the best things to come out of the 2004 legislative session
– after the expanded indoor smoking ban. Neubauer, at the Red Cross, said it’s
a good measure, and encouraged health club owners to think of how it will improve
their patrons’ safety.
Fitness businesses themselves were more resistant, though in the end, they
didn’t fight the bill. “We just kind of educated people that this is something
that can save lives, and the training is simple,” McNamara said. One other common
concern, liability, is actually not a problem because Rhode Island’s good Samaritan
law covers AED use.
The Red Cross offers basic AED training for $25, a two-and-a-half-hour course.
A combined AED/CPR course lasts just under five hours and costs $40.
Rhode Island was the first state to pass a law requiring AEDs at health clubs,
according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association
(IHRSA), though Louisiana and New York followed suit within days.
Louisiana explicitly included nonprofits such as YMCAs. Rhode Island’s law
just says “every health club,” which Dave Morin, the state’s point person for
the IHRSA, said has already stirred up some debate about who is or isn’t exempt.
Morin, who is president of the Fore Court Racket & Fitness Club, in Cumberland,
said his club bought an AED three years ago, “just based on the demographics
of our facility” and after hearing from friends in other states who had bought
the devices.
Employees trained
The AED sits in the lobby of the health club,
where everyone can see it. Morin said 35 of his 55 employees are trained to
use it, including the maintenance man who’s usually the first one to arrive
in the morning. It’s never been used, Morin said.
Some health club owners worried about McNamara’s bill because, especially
for small businesses, it’s a big expense for what is basically “an insurance
policy,” he said.
It would have helped if health clubs had more time to save up money to buy
the devices, he added.
Or, he said, if the state had helped pay for the training.
Still, Morin said having AEDs at health clubs is a good thing.
“Having already purchased mine, I think it’s a great thing, provided everyone’s
playing on the same field,” he said. “If I have to buy one, everyone who’s in
the same business as I am should also have to buy one.”
