West Point, Nebraska – West Point Public Schools, in collaboration with Children's Nebraska, announced it has received a Heart Safe designation through Project ADAM, a program that ensures schools have automated defibrillator (AED) equipment, response training and advanced emergency preparedness procedures in the event of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) on campus. Children's Project ADAM program partners with schools and organizations statewide to encourage preparedness for an emergency situation and save lives.
Katie Anderson, the school nurse, shared “I am thrilled to announce that we are now a Heart Safe School in partnership with Project Adam. While we have always had the necessary resources to respond to cardiac emergencies, this initiative has helped us create a comprehensive plan to ensure we are fully prepared in any situation. The dedication of our staff to this project has been truly inspiring, and we are now better equipped with the training and procedures needed to act quickly and effectively. Our commitment to fostering a safe and healthy school environment is stronger than ever, and we are proud to be recognized as a Heart Safe School."
Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam's Memory) was named for Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old Wisconsin teenager who suffered a fatal sudden cardiac arrest in 1999 while playing basketball at school. Access to an AED and immediate care could have saved Adam's life.
Project ADAM's Heart Safe School program ensures schools and organizations have well-maintained AEDs available on site, CPR- and AED-trained staff and a practiced emergency plan to respond to a collapse, giving students, staff and community visitors the best possible chance to survive an unexpected cardiac event. At West Point Public Schools, members of the Cardiac Emergency Response Team (CERT) regularly participate in drills and undergo annual training to ensure they are fully prepared for any emergency.
Children's, the region's only hospital dedicated exclusively to serving children and teens, was designated a Project ADAM affiliate hospital in 2022 and has welcomed more than 225 schools and organizations with Heart Safe designations to date. Matt Sorensen, M.D., an electrophysiologist and member of Children's Cardiac Care team, serves as the local medical director for Project ADAM. The initiative marks a strategic investment to align Children's cardiac experts as an important resource for community schools and is a collaboration between Children's Criss Heart Center and Community Health & Advocacy teams.
"Project ADAM is a nationwide, collaborative effort to improve the safety of our schools and community and help them achieve preparedness for an unexpected cardiac event, and we are proud to serve as an affiliate hospital of this exceptional program, " Dr. Sorensen said. "Becoming Heart Safe reflects an exemplary commitment to the health and safety of people of all ages across our communities. Each school and organization is key to these efforts, and we look forward to seeing the continued growth of the Heart Safe program and Project ADAM's reach across the state and region."
According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year, and approximately 10 percent survive. Since 1999, more than 4,000 schools across the country have achieved a Heart Safe designation.
Learn more about Children's Project ADAM program at ChildrensNebraska.org/ ProjectADAM and the national Project ADAM program at ProjectADAM.com.
Picture: Members of West Point Public School’s CERT with their Heart Safe Designation Sign- Katie Anderson, Brittany Larsen, Alyssa Breitkreutz, Linda Hughes, Bailey Oborny, Kristin Hochstein, Nayeli Perez, Terry Doggett, Mark Bender, Ray Maxwell, Becky Luebbert, Olivia Fletcher, and Mike Waak.