For every minute that a cardiac arrest event persists, the chances of survival reduce by 10 percent. Nicklaus Children’s Heart Institute is leading a community initiative aimed at preventing sudden cardiac death, a leading cause of death among adults and children nationwide. In the last 18 months, the program has provided training to address sudden cardiac arrest events for staff at all 332 Miami-Dade County Public Schools, as well as an array of private and charter schools in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Heart Institute, a regional leader in the care of children with congenital heart defects, is proud to be the South Florida affiliate of Project ADAM, an organization dedicated to offering free life-saving training and education to counter sudden cardiac arrest. Through the program, staff at participating schools learn how to perform CPR, use automated external defibrillators (AED), and develop a site-specific response plan. Participating schools receive a two-year Project ADAM recognition and commit to performing a minimum of 1 drill annually, upon completion of training.
Since the launch of the program in 2022, three students and 2 adult staff members have been resuscitated by school employees trained by the Heart Institute’s Project ADAM outreach team. The effort is paying off and saving lives. In May, a 9-year-old boy at Joella C. Good Elementary School in Hialeah became the fifth person saved by Project Adam-trained school staff members. Thanks to their lifesaving skills, the boy was awake and responsive by the time EMS arrived. The reach of Project ADAM training extends even beyond the school campus. Staff members of Booker T. Washington Senior High School jumped into action to save the life of a 17-year-old American Heritage School football player, who went into cardiac arrest.
“The training that is being offered through Nicklaus Children’s Project ADAM is a passion that we all share as champions for children,” said Matthew A. Love, President and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, parent organization of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, the region’s only freestanding specialty hospital dedicated exclusively to children. “We offer heart-saving training to any school seeking to empower staff to address sudden cardiac arrest events and are immensely proud of the trainees who have used their new skills to save lives. They are true heroes, first anticipating the need for preparedness, then completing the training, and leaping into action when a cardiac arrest occurred.”
Project ADAM at Nicklaus Children’s is made possible in part by generous organizations including Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and the Coral Gables Community Foundation.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is one of two affiliate Project ADAM children’s hospitals in Florida. To learn more, please visit nicklauschildrens.org/ProjectAdam.