Keys AHEC offers free ECG screenings for Monroe student-athletes

Monroe County families will have a no-cost way to meet Florida’s new heart-screening requirement before the next sports season. Keys Area Health Education Center is offering free electrocardiogram screenings at Marathon High School from May 18 to 22, Coral Shores High School from June 1 to 5 and Key West High School from June 8 to 12.

Beginning July 1, incoming ninth-grade student-athletes and upperclassmen who have never played in an FHSAA-sanctioned sport must complete an ECG before they can compete. The requirement, part of Florida’s Second Chance Act, is designed to detect hidden heart conditions and reduce the risk of sudden cardiac events in young athletes.

Keys AHEC said the screenings are free and can also cover the required sports physical if needed, which gives families one appointment that can satisfy two pieces of sports paperwork. Appointments are required, so parents will need to work within the school-by-school schedule as they prepare for tryouts, camp and fall registration.

If an ECG shows an abnormal result, a pediatric cardiologist will review it. That confirmation process can take up to eight days, and families can then follow up with their own provider or Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for next steps.

For Monroe County schools, the new rule turns heart screening into part of the standard preseason checklist. For parents, it means the deadline is not months away in the abstract but a set of concrete dates at the county’s three major high schools, with July 1 now serving as the line between paperwork and eligibility.