Sudden cardiac arrest is not limited to youth athletes and can occur in non-athletes, as well. Approximately 360,000 people per year experience sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. Survival following a sudden cardiac arrest decreases by 7-10% for every one minute without defibrillation. Around 20% of a community’s population is at a local school on any given weekday, therefore, it is imperative that schools be prepared in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest on their campus. It’s not enough to simply have AEDs in the building. Lives are saved when schools are prepared not only with a documented plan but also with a cardiac response team that is well-trained on how to respond in the event of a cardiac emergency. Project ADAM is a hospital-based community outreach program supporting the implementation of such written and practiced cardiac emergency response plans for sudden cardiac arrest in schools. To date, over 100 lives have been saved through Project ADAM, in which an appropriate and timely response was enacted following a sudden cardiac arrest.

The goal of Project ADAM Greater Cincinnati is to educate area schools on sudden cardiac arrest and provide them with the tools necessary to be prepared in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. This includes assisting schools with the development of a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, and providing resources for CPR and AED education and training. Project ADAM Greater Cincinnati also strives to help area schools achieve a “Heart Safe School” designation, which is attained upon successful implementation of a quality sudden cardiac arrest program of awareness, training, and effective emergency response to promote a “Heart Safe” environment for students, visitors, and staff.