More than 356,000 people in the U.S. experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the majority of those cases, the person dies before they can reach a hospital. That’s why Norton Children’s joined forces with a national not-for-profit organization to increase awareness and emergency planning in the community.
Norton Children’s Heart Institute worked with Owensboro High School to designate it a Project ADAM Heart Safe School on Thursday. Norton Children’s became an affiliate of Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) in 2023. It is a national not-for-profit that aims to help schools implement emergency response plans for sudden cardiac arrest incidents.
Project ADAM was created in 1999 after the death of Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old who died of sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball. Intervention, such as use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), could have saved his life. Adam’s parents teamed up with Children’s Wisconsin to form Project ADAM.
Project ADAM is now a nationwide initiative that has saved the lives of more than 200 children and adults who went into sudden cardiac arrest. Norton Children’s is among 49 Project ADAM-affiliated sites in 33 states.
“We are excited to take part in this collaboration with other children’s hospitals across the country to promote more Heart Safe Schools,” said Adam M. Skaff, M.D., fetal and pediatric cardiologist, Norton Children’s Heart Institute. “Raising awareness on cardiac arrest and providing training to school districts in our area can help save lives. We’re thrilled to designate Owensboro High School as our seventh Heart Safe School.”
A Heart Safe School designation indicates school staff are trained and prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency. Norton Children’s Project ADAM representatives provided education on cardiac arrest as well as CPR and AED use training at Owensboro High School. School staff also worked through a mock scenario to practice their cardiac emergency response plan in order for the school to receive the designation.
“You can’t predict when a cardiac arrest will occur, but being a part of Project ADAM will allow Owensboro High School staff to have the training necessary to save the life of anyone in our building should one occur,” said Jennifer Luttrell, principal of Owensboro High School. “Between the day-to-day operations of the school as well as the countless number of events that are open to the public, this training will be invaluable to ensuring we have the tools to provide proper lifesaving measures until emergency services arrive on scene.”