March 20th, 2016

Thank you for being a part of our mission to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest among parents, educators, and physicians. Until EKGs are a standardized part of well-child exams and pre-participation sports physicals, we will continue to seek out heart anomalies that unknowingly put kids at risk. We encourage the parents to attend the screening as chaperones.  We want to assure you that students’ confidentiality, privacy and individual modesty will be respected throughout all aspects of the program.

Heart screenings are completely painless and non-invasive. There are no needles or x-ray exposure. It consists of:

• A review of family and health history questionnaire
• Learning hands only CPR and AED use
• A 12 lead EKG. Small patches with a mild adhesive will be placed on the teen’s chest, legs and arms. Electrodes are attached to the patches, and the heart’s electrical activity is recorded
• A cardiologist will review the results and possibly ask questions
• Some students may also receive an echocardiogram (ultrasound) of their heart. Please be aware that our echocardiograms are limited to heart wall thickness and glaring structural abnormalities and may not catch everything a thorough echo may.
• This process takes 60-90 minutes
• We strongly urge you to share the results with your own family doctor so that it becomes a part of your teen’s medical chart.

THIS IS IMPORTANT:

• All teens under the age of 18 must have the permission form signed by a parent or guardian.
• On the day of the screening, teens should wear a t-shirt, sweat pants or sport shorts.
• Girls should wear a sports bra. Girls will be asked to remove the t-shirt but will keep the sports bra on at all times, and will be screened by female health professionals in an area separate from boys. Paper gowns will be provided if requested.

The cardiac screenings we offer are free, but we are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (Tax ID # 27-1530938) that relies solely on donations to continue our mission to screen every teen in Northern California

Any support you can give will help us prevent losing more teens to sudden cardiac arrest. We urge you to stay informed, volunteer and donate.

With your help, we can create a heart safe place to learn and play.

ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR THE MARCH 20 SCREENING IS NOW CLOSED.

Walk-in’s will be accommodated as time and space allow.  Feel free to come to the site between 12:00pm-2:00pm.