Go Back to a Heart Safe School
Wilmington, DE, August 3, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death on school campuses. Thousands of youth are lost each year when kids suddenly and unexpectedly collapse, typically from an undetected heart condition, sometimes from a blunt blow to the chest. Given 92% of victims die, emergency aid is required in three minutes or less. When the national response time for EMS averages 8 to 12 minutes, how can that life be saved?
Parent Heart Watch urges schools to implement a written and well-practiced cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) that details how to prepare a CPR-trained team to respond quickly, and why automated external defibrillators (AED) are a critical life-saving tool that is the only way to restart the heart of an SCA victim. AEDs are specifically designed for anyone to use. Every minute delayed decreases a victim’s chance of survival by 10%.
Fire drills and fire extinguishers are standard school safety practices, so it's not hard to imagine the impact CPR, AEDs and CERPs would make in school communities. The Institute of Medicine reported that the best way to increase the survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest victims is to engage bystanders in emergency action.
Martha Lopez-Anderson, Parent Heart Watch Executive Director
Parent Heart Watch was part of a national task force of health and education organizations that created the Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Toolkit.
What can a CERP do for your school?
- Educate parents, teachers, and coaches about sudden cardiac arrest in youth
- Form a cardiac emergency response team that is CPR trained
- Establish a response plan that’s personalized to your school
- Inform on how AEDs should be installed and properly maintained
- Conduct life-saving drills to assure your readiness
Parents, PTAs, boosters, school nurses, PE and health teachers and other school groups can champion making a school heart safe by introducing CERPs to your principal and volunteering to be on the CER team.
To find about more about making your school heart safe, and to get free educational posters and flyers plus new videos to share with your community, visit www.parentheartwatch.org.
Parent Heart Watch is the national voice solely dedicated to protecting youth from sudden cardiac arrest and preventable sudden cardiac death. Parent Heart Watch leads and empowers others by sharing information, educating and advocating for change. Our vision is to eliminate preventable deaths and disabilities from sudden cardiac in youth by 2030.
Source: Parent Heart Watch
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