North Carolina 2025 Lobby Day: Advocates Take Action to Help Schools Save Lives!

On February 18th, 2025, the American Heart Association hosted the annual North Carolina State Lobby Day at the Capitol Building in Raleigh. The event brought together sixty-four passionate advocates, legislators, and representatives from the Justus Warren Stroke Prevention Task Force, the NC CERP Coalition, and the NC Division of Public Health. The primary focus of the event was to advocate for legislation that will help schools save lives.
Throughout the day, advocates held thirty-nine meetings with legislators and their staff. Many legislators responded positively, expressing support and committing to further discussions. Advocates met with bill sponsor Senator Kevin Corbin, who is currently drafting the Smart Hearts Act. This life-saving legislation will require the placement of CERP programs and AEDs in all public and charter schools across North Carolina, with an appropriation of $2 million.

The immediate outcomes of the event were promising. We secured two additional bill sponsors for the proposed legislation and garnered interest from several House members eager to write a companion bill in their chamber.

The day featured inspiring stories from those directly impacted by cardiac events. Andrea and Keianna Joe shared their experience when Keianna, a high school cheerleader, suffered a cardiac arrest during a competition at a North Carolina public school. Her mother performed hands-only CPR for ten minutes until an AED was located, saving her life.

The Scarborough family from Jacksonville, NC, attended with their son, Tyler, who has Williams syndrome, making him more susceptible to sudden cardiac arrest. Tyler’s genetic condition and past open-heart surgery make proper emergency protocols crucial in schools.

Representative Becky Carney of Charlotte shared her own cardiac arrest experience from sixteen years ago when she was saved by CPR and an AED. She spoke passionately about the need to protect all individuals in schools.

Overall, the 2025 North Carolina American Heart Association State Lobby Day was a resounding success. It demonstrated the power of advocates uniting to change the future of health by speaking out and speaking up to advance policies that are improving lives and creating healthier communities.