MONTGOMERY, Ohio — A cardiac emergency can happen at any time, anywhere and to anyone. With that in the front of the All Saints Elementary school staff’s minds, they knew they needed to give faculty and students training that was more than just information on a projector in a classroom.
“When times matters it's super important that everyone is trained and prepared,” school nurse Terra Burpee said.
Burpee reached out to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital last year wanting to create a more equipped school. Cincinnati Children’s partners with Project Adam to create and maintain a solid foundation for schools to know what action to take in an emergency.
Many staff members and the school's eighth-grade class are now certified and have hands-on CPR and AED training. Burpee said they didn’t want to leave anyone out, so a lot of the sixth graders also have experience in life-saving measures.
“It kind of helps them feel empowered to have a role,” Burpee said. “Because in the event of a sudden cardiac episode, seconds matter. As soon as we can get there and start hands-on CPR and AED, the promise for the patient is a lot better.”
The Heart Safe Certification, Burpee said, took months of training and planning. All Saints Elementary School now has a full course of action posted on the school walls making everything clear on what to do in an emergency situation.
“It feels really good as a nurse to know the team here is so prepared,” she said.
Sixth grader Lexi Dillon got a first-hand look at what the months of training looked like. Dillon said she feels it’s crucial to have these resources in schools, because she always wants to be ready to lend a helping hand.
“If you don’t know how to do it or you have to wait for 911 or someone to be called ... it might be too late,” she said.
On Tuesday, just before school ended for the day, Cincinnati Children’s and Project Adam presented All Saints Elementary School with an official banner congratulating the staff and students for their certification.
For more information on Project Adam, click here.
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