RICHMOND, Va. -- Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) is now a part of a national non-profit whose aim is to help schools prepare to respond to a cardiac arrest.
Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillation in Adam's Memory) was founded in 1999 in memory of Wisconsin teenager Adam Lemel who died of sudden cardiac arrest when playing basketball. While he was given CPR, there was no AED on-site.
"What Project ADAM aims to do is to prepare schools for sudden cardiac arrest through preparedness, education and practice," said CHoR Pediatric Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist Dr. John Phillips, who is the Project ADAM's medical director at CHoR and also served with the Project ADAM program in West Virginia. "School-based AED [automated external defibrillation] programs are important, having people trained in CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] is important, and how to use an AED. Probably most important is the recognition of those signs that suggest sudden cardiac arrest."
Project ADAM has been launched through affiliates in 28 other states, who then help schools meet 14 requirements to be deemed a "heart safe" school.
"We've saved over 200 lives and that accounts for children and adults and really helping them to get fastest responses, like we saw in action on Monday evening," said national Project ADAM administrator Allison Thompson, referring to the response from medical staff Monday night to Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest.
Phillips added the silver lining from Hamlin's situation has been the amount of focus it has brought to the issue.
"It's bringing light to the preparedness that we advocate for. So, in that regard, it's a good thing. It's been a positive coming from a really tragic event, " he said.
As Virginia already has laws and guidelines in place for cardiac arrest preparedness, Phillips said most schools in the Commonwealth already have met seven to 10 of them already.
"The ones that most schools need to accomplish is, number one, to make everyone within the school aware of where the AEDs are. And number two, that the project exists. And number three, recognizing sudden cardiac arrest. Because, if you're in out on recess, it's important for the English teacher to recognize if a child goes down so that they can notify everyone to get the event covered and treat that patient," said Phillips. "In children, the out-of-hospital-arrest mortality is greater than 90%. Same thing with adults. So, it's very important to recognize it and get it patient defibrillated as soon as possible."
Phillips added the program aims to not only protect children in schools, but adults as well.
"It's probably more likely that a faculty member will suffer cardiac arrest or a grandparent or a visitor who's coming to see their child play a sport," said Phillips. "Just because of their age."
More information about Project ADAM at CHoR and how to sign up can be found here. Phillips added he welcomes community groups who are interested in receiving this training to reach out.
AEDs in Virginia schools could soon become law
While there is a law in Virginia that allows local school boards to develop plans for AEDs in school, there is no law mandating them.
CBS 6 asked the four local school divisions how many AEDs they had in their schools and all responded they were in place at all levels.
Chesterfield
"Every K-12 school in Chesterfield County Public Schools is equipped with several AED devices. The number varies by site depending on square footage, building layout (one story vs. two stories), etc," said a CCPS spokesperson.
Hanover
"We take AEDs very seriously. All of our clinic staff, health and P.E. teachers, instructional assistants who care for certain special education students, and athletic trainers (who have them on the sidelines on home varsity football games) are certified in their usage. Our teachers are also trained when they renew their teaching license," responded a HCPS spokesperson. "With regard to the devices themselves, we have at least one in every elementary school, specialty school, and administrative office, at least two in every middle school, and at least four in every high school. We have 50 in total."
Henrico
"In Henrico County Public Schools every high school has at least 5 AEDs, every middle school has at least 2 AEDs , every elementary has at least 1 AED," said an HCPS spokesperson.
Richmond
"We have an AED unit in every school and RPS site (like transportation, for example). When teachers and nurses certify their CPR every 2 years, AED training is a part of it," replied an RPS spokesperson. "Also, each Athletic Trainer has an AED. We have 5 high school trainers and 1 middle school trainer."
Meanwhile, State Sen. Jeremy McPike, who carried legislation several years ago requiring them in fitness clubs, said he intends to introduce legislation in the upcoming General Assembly session to require them in schools.
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