There is a local program that ensures that school staff members and some students know how to respond to cardiac arrest.
The program is called Project Adam.
School nurse Crissy Kuhlmann can see anything on any given day of school, a lost tooth being her favorite.
He says that’s it most days. But that’s also why she wanted his school to participate in the national Project Adam initiative.
It is a program that provides schools with new and advanced automated external defibrillators.
AEDs come with comprehensive CPR training for staff and students.
“Anything we can do to prepare and educate them is just to help them understand,” said Eva Harmon, principal of John Paul Catholic School.
Thirty-eight different pediatric health systems emphasize the importance of CPR training. They say that no matter how young or healthy a person is, emergency situations can arise. They say that’s why it’s so important that schools have the help they need on the ground.
“Knowing how to do CPR and knowing how to use an AED is essential,” said Children’s Mercy Hospital pediatric physician Dr. Lindsey Malloy-Walton. Stand up
Project Adam is in more than 4,000 schools nationwide and growing. To date, he is credited with saving more than 200 lives.
“We really want to move forward before an athlete or student falls into a school setting,” Malloi-Walton said.
The school organizes a safety drill and the staff understand their role in these situations.
In Kansas and Missouri, high school students must learn CPR before graduating from high school.
