The Council Rock School District is partnering with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on a program to prevent cardiac arrest in adolescents.
As discussed at the school board’s May 23 Education Committee meeting, CHOP’s Youth Heart Watch program provides schools and communities resources to receive a “Heart Safe” designation.
Cardiac arrest, as explained by CHOP Youth Heart Watch program coordinator Lindsey Flanagan, occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating.
While typically thought of as impacting older individuals, cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of non-accidental death in youth. About 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest each year.
There are seven students in the Council Rock School District with known cardiac conditions. However, as any student could be living with an unknown heart condition, it is essential for automated external defibrillators and CPR-trained faculty members to be readily available.
AEDs are small, portable devices used to return a normal heart rhythm to an individual experiencing a cardiac arrest. The device works by first analyzing the heart’s rhythm, and then delivering an electrical shock if needed.
Council Rock schools already have anywhere from one to three AEDs, depending on the size of the school, so that one can be accessed within three minutes from anywhere in the building.
The athletic departments also have their own AEDS, as cardiac arrest accounts of 75% of all young-athlete related deaths.
Although Council Rock already has an adequate number of AEDs, the Youth Heart Watch program gives the district additional resources, including AED assessments, hands-on training and the coordination of drills to observe and give feedback.
To become “Heart Safe,” the district must complete a 14-point checklist. This checklist requires that a minimum of five people in each building be trained in CPR and that each school develop an emergency response team and plan.
Through this plan, every faculty member will be able to recognize a cardiac arrest and contact the response team in the case of an emergency.
With the exception of occasionally updating AED parts, Youth Heart Watch is a free program being offered to the district.
Superintendent Andrew Sanko said he believes Council Rock will become a “Heart Safe” school no later than the end of the 2024-25 school year.
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