YOUR SCHOOL CAN SAVE A LIFE
Athletic and academic leaders in our community have been instrumental in helping the EP Save A Life Foundation to find youth at risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). We have partnered with area schools to provide thousands of cardiac screenings to San Diego teens, which have identified hundreds of kids with undetected heart abnormalities—literal ticking time bombs.
Why
School communities are wholly focused on the well-being of their youth. It’s exactly the right environment in which to provide them a service and insight that could literally save lives. SCA is the #1 killer of student athletes and the leading cause of death on school campuses. Screenings help youth learn to be their own heart health advocate and join the next generation of live savers.
Who
While your students are the primary participants, screenings are open to the public to any youth age 12 to 25. Participants come from across county. Parents register via our website, download and complete the Screening Packet for the youth to bring to the event. Youth with a signed packet or those age 18+ do not need to have a parent present.
How
A screening must have community-wide support, from administration to teachers to athletics, PTA to boosters, ASB to student organizations. The school must fully promote the screening within its community. EP promotes the event within the district and countywide. We provide you with a flyer and social media messaging.
Where
Screening events typically require use of the gym or multi-purpose room and adjacent spaces or classrooms. The school waives any associated facility fees. We provide you with a copy of our liability insurance on which the school and district will be named as co-insured. We will visit your campus for a site walk to designate needed space.
What
We require about 30 folding tables and chairs, extra trash cans and power outlets in each space. We bring our own volunteers but if there are those at your school who would like to help please let us know. We provide volunteers with breakfast and lunch refreshments and a t-shirt they keep.
When
Screenings are held on Sundays and are open to the public from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, with access to the site needed from 6:30 am to 5 pm for set-up and tear-down. We provide six screenings each year, with dates typically confirmed 6 months to a year in advance. Event planning takes place 8-12 weeks prior to the screening.
Our toolkit contains a checklist of resources you can use to promote the heart screening throughout your high school community.
As a principal, I have long known that my high school is more than an educational institution. We are a community. On July 23, 2009 one member of our community, Eric Paredes, died tragically of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The tragedy occurred because his death could have been prevented if he had been properly screened. He was only fifteen years old.
After Eric died, I learned that between one and two percent of the general population carries a risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest. That translates to between twenty-two and forty-four of my current students. Steele Canyon High School is the common denominator that all of these students share and was the logical place to hold a large-scale cardiac screening. At Steele Canyon’s cardiac screening, four hundred sixty-one outwardly healthy students were screened—five students were found to be at risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and one required an immediate heart procedure. That day, we definitely saved one young man’s life and quite probably saved the lives of five other young people.
—Eileen Poole, Former CEO/Principal