Is your school prepared if
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) strikes a student, staff member or visitor?
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (
SCA) is one of the leading causes of death in North America killing 300,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. While
SCA is more prevalent in adults, children are also victims of
SCA. Even schools for young children have many adults present every day and schools serve as central gathering point within the community.
A recent study of first responders and physicians staffing school sporting events identified 21 episodes of
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (
SCA) in athletes of all ages. There are a significant number of young athletes, just like
Zachary Schrah who have an undetected, or possibly an underlying heart disease that predisposes them to
SCA.
Schools with
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) have better
cardiac survival rates, and the good news is a
SCA is survivable. This important fact is true for both students and non-students who may experience sudden cardiac arrest at a school event.
Implementing an
SCA program at your school isn’t hard, but it will take some work. The
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation has some great information about some successful school programs, check out
Building a Heart-Safe School, you will find some very helpful information. You’ll also find helpful ideas and checklists throughout this website. We have the power and the moral responsibility – to protect the lives of our students, our faculty members, our staff and our visitors. With simple preparation, we can save a life at school.
Why wait for a tragedy? Implement an
SCA program at your school now. You may just save a life—and better yet, by teaching students lifesaving skills, you’ll help build a generation of citizens who are ready, willing and able to help whenever
SCA strikes. At
Living 4 Zachary we want to work together to eliminate preventable deaths from
SCA, which continue to occur all too often.
