Did you know? According to the latest national statistics, there are more than 350,000 children and adults in the United States that experience sudden cardiac arrest every year, with most of them happening outside of a hospital. Plus, the numbers of young athletes who suffer sudden cardiac arrest while participating in sports have gone up as well.
These numbers are scary. That’s why we, at Children’s Minnesota and The Children’s Heart Clinic, recently established Project ADAM Minnesota.
What is Project ADAM?
Project ADAM is a national program which strives to assist schools and communities in establishing a practiced plan to respond to a sudden cardiac arrest. Project ADAM has saved the lives of more than 200 children, adolescents and adults who went into sudden cardiac arrest.
Children’s Minnesota started Project ADAM Minnesota in 2021. The mission is to serve children and adolescents through education in the deployment of life-saving programs helping prevent sudden cardiac arrest and sudden cardiac death within Minnesota schools.
How does Project ADAM Minnesota work?
Project ADAM Minnesota provides individual consultation on the prevention of sudden cardiac death in school settings. Consultations are provided free of charge to all Minnesota schools, made possible by the generous support of the Children’s Heart Clinic and Children’s Minnesota.
How Project ADAM Minnesota helps create heart-safe schools
During each consultation at the school, Project ADAM Minnesota team members walk through these steps needed in order for the school to become a heart-safe school:
- Provide information of risk factors and symptoms for a sudden cardiac arrest to staff, students and parents.
- Provide a comprehensive planning manual with step-by-step instructions on how to develop a planned response to a sudden cardiac arrest.
- Identify an emergency response team to recognize and respond efficiently to sudden cardiac arrest.
- Implementing a practice plan, including CPR and AED training for select faculty, staff and volunteer first responders.
- Assistance in obtaining new AEDs and or managing existing AEDs.
- Instructions regarding maintenance of equipment, training updates and practice drills.
- Working with local emergency responders to coordinate efforts and offer the best chance of success.
Once all these steps are completed, you will receive a Project Adam Heart Safe School designation, joining many other schools nationally. In addition to the peace of mind you will receive knowing your school is well prepared to respond to a cardiac arrest at your facility, you will also receive a banner of recognition for your achievement, which can proudly be displayed in your school.
Connect with Project ADAM Minnesota
If you work at a school and are interested in working with Project ADAM, please contact Project ADAM Minnesota at [email protected].
Project ADAM Minnesota leaders:
- Andrew Schneider, MD, is the program director.
- Nathan Neis, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC, is the program coordinator.