PARK HILLS, Ky. — Notre Dame Academy on Monday became the first school in Kentucky to be designated a "Heart Safe School" by Project ADAM.
The school partnered with Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute to create a CPR-AED program focused on establishing a plan to respond to sudden cardiac arrest. This means AED equipment is on campus, all staff know where it is located and how to access them and there is a designated emergency response team.
School officials say becoming a Heart Safe School meant a lot of hard work for everyone — students and staff.
"Our faculty and staff have all been trained," Principal Jack VonHandorf said. "We had to go through a drill to make sure we could do this, and that's our partnership with Children's Hospital who helped us do that."
This comes just one week after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill requiring all schools to have at least one AED on campus. House Bill 331 requires at least three staff members and all athletic coaches to be trained on the AED. Coaches must be CPR certified.
Notre Dame officials said the changes will help both those inside and outside the school feel safe knowing staff have the skills to take care of anyone in an emergency.
"We just wanted to be able to make sure that we were providing our community with the resources necessary in case we did have somebody go down in a cardiac arrest, so it really has meant a lot to our community to make this happen," VonHandorf said.
A bill requiring AEDs in Ohio schools has also been reintroduced in the Ohio House.
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