On May 11, Chagrin Falls Middle and High Schools received the Heart Safe School Accreditation from the SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes) Foundation. In order to achieve accreditation, the schools have to go through a program consisting of seven elements aimed at raising awareness and preventing cardiac arrest. The seven elements include students being given a screening/risk assessment to complete at home with their families; those students with a cardiac diagnosis create care plans for them both at home and at school; schools conduct at least three emergency medical response drills a year; Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are no further than 90 seconds from any point in the building; students and staff receive CPR training; a sudden cardiac awareness activity, event or fundraiser is held.
The first school was accredited in 2013. There are currently 38 schools in five states accredited, but Chagrin Falls is the first school in Northeast Ohio to achieve the accreditation. Chagrin Falls will hold the accreditation for three years during which they are required to provide documentation regarding how they are continuing to meet the seven elements.
Image Courtesy of: https://pixabay.com/en/heart-care-medical-care-heart-1040248/
