By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Adams Central has become the first school in Adams County to become a Heart Safe School through Project ADAM.
In conjunction with earning the designation, Adams Health Network presented the school with six AEDs free of charge.
Following a year of learning, preparation and practice drills, Adams Central gained the Heart Safe School designation.
In a ceremony at the school on Monday, AC Certified School Nurse Donna Barger “talked about creating multiple rapid response teams, designating roles for the team members, training each member, and running numerous drills to build each member’s confidence to respond in a real emergency,” according to the school.
Then, with school patrons, Adams Memorial Hospital representatives, and some special guests looking on, Barger launched a Rapid Response test simulation.
The process began with a “person” found with sudden cardiac arrest. An AED (Automatic Electronic Defibrillator) was used, then first responders from the Monroe Fire Department arrived and took the “person” to the hospital.
The total simulation took approximately 12 minutes and concluded with a debriefing.
According to Adams Central officials, Tonya Aerts, Project Adam Indiana Community Advocate for Northeast Indiana, provided feedback on the simulation and said it was one of the best drills she had seen. She announced that Adams Central had earned the Project ADAM Heart Safe School designation.
Project ADAM is a nationwide initiative that is reported to have saved the lives of more than 200 children, adolescents and adults who went into sudden cardiac arrest. Today, there are 38 Project ADAM-affiliated sites in 29 states.
Project ADAM began in 1999 in Wisconsin after the death of Adam Lemel, 17, who collapsed and died while playing basketball. He had suffered sudden cardiac arrest. An on-site AED could have saved his life, officials said.
Adam’s parents, Patty and Joe, teamed up with Children’s Wisconsin to create Project ADAM.
While sudden cardiac arrest is uncommon in young people, it sadly does happen, according to Project ADAM. And it’s exactly that – sudden and unexpected. But immediate CPR and the availability of an AED can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.
Following the awarding of the Heart Safe School designation, Dr. Scott Smith, CEO of Adams Memorial Hospital, along with Kris Burkhart, paramedic and manager of EMS Mobile Integrated Health, plus members of Adams Memorial Hospital, were on hand to present six new AEDs to Adams Central.
“Congratulations to the incredible staff at Adams Central for their commitment to safety,” a hospital statement said. “Their dedication to receiving this life-saving training has been instrumental in achieving this milestone. We are proud of each and every one of their staff members for going above and beyond for the well-being of this community!”
Through an IHOPE grant, Adams Health Network has been presenting free AEDs to schools and areas where young people and adults congregate – such as Safety Park, the Adams County Service Complex in Decatur, the 4-H Fair Board based in Monroe, and St. Paul Lutheran Church.