Aug. 29, 2024 – “Am I heart healthy?”
That’s the question Team Duval student-athletes will now be able to answer with extra confidence thanks to live-saving, cardiac screening technology available at all 17 district high schools that offer sports programs.
The ECG units are provided through a state grant to promote cardiac screenings and bring awareness of potential Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), a life-threatening condition that causes a person’s heartbeat to stop abruptly and unexpectedly.
Blake Mace, an athletic trainer at Englewood High School, says having the machine on campus puts her at ease.
“Just the calmness in my mind of knowing that they’ve already been checked,” Mace said. “Either we’ve caught something and we can fix it, or we’ve prevented something from happening, or there’s nothing wrong and we’ve got that gold light.”
Mace is one of 17 district athletic trainers who participated in hands-on training over the summer through a multi-partnership between the Who We Play For organization, Jacksonville Sports Medicine Program, and a number of community partners.
Jerry Stevens, Supervisor of District Sports Medicine, says this gives them the opportunity to be proactive instead of reactionary.
“Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of death in student-athletes,” said Stevens. “A typical athletic screening that we do for a physical that’s required every year is just a medical history that doesn’t really pick those things up, so this is new technology that we’re able to implement.”
Stevens says this screening is especially important for students who come from a family with heart issues including those who have had an immediate loved one pass away from a heart condition under the age of 50. The screening includes placing the electrodes on a student’s body and the machine will read the heart in just minutes and be reviewed by a pediatric cardiologist.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier, who attended the training over the summer, said this is another layer to student safety that many don’t think about.
“When we think about safety, often we think about fences and security and entry technology,” said Dr. Bernier. “But there’s a whole other aspect to keeping students safe, and that’s making sure that they’re medically-cleared and healthy to participate in the sports that they love.”
These screenings are not mandatory. Rather, students have the option to participate if they have parental consent. If parents choose to allow the screening, students will be screened every two years.
“Our number one goal being out there is safety for the student-athletes,” said Mace. “This is just an extra step of preventative measures for them, and that’s just awesome to have our district be a leader in the state for it.”
-Brittany Jones