Florida High school athletes are now required to undergo electrocardiograms to rule out the risk of sudden cardiac death syndrome.

The Florida Second Chance Act came about after Chance Gainier, a Panhandle area high school football player, collapsed and died during a game in 2024. Although cardiac problems in young people are rare, an EKG can rule out tragedy before it strikes.Dr. Eric Eason is chief of pediatric cardiology at Golisano Children’s Hospital. He reads EKGs for a nonprofit called Who We Play For, which offers free or low-cost testing for student athletes.

"When we do screens in Lee County, if there's 100 kids that go through, we'll have three or four abnormal EKGs," Eason said. "I read a batch of EKGs last week, and out of 60 or so, there were two abnormalities." Abnormaliti

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