Increased focus on cardiac safety pays dividends for Hamilton Schools

LANSING — Four buildings in Hamilton Community Schools are among the record number of first-time awardees in the MI HeartSafe Schools Program.

The designation recognizes schools that've taken steps to prepare for cardiac emergencies. Schools are recognized in three year cycles, with the 2022-25 honorees announced Wednesday, Nov. 8.

This year’s group consists of a record 256 schools, including 123 receiving the award for the first time, which is also a record for the program, established in 2013.

Included in the first-time honorees this cycle are four schools in Hamilton: Bentheim Elementary, Blue Star Elementary, Sandyview Elementary and Hamilton High.

Only nine schools statewide have been continuously recognized as HeartSafe since the program began. Three of those are in Fennville.

Fennville Elementary, Fennville Middle School and Fennville High School each received their fourth HeartSafe designation for the 2022-25 cycle, adding to designations in 2013, 2016 and 2019.

Holland Public Schools’ Language Academy also received a renewed designation for the 2022-25 cycle.

Other active school designations in the area include Holland High School, Saugatuck High School and West Ottawa’s Harbor Lights Middle School and Macatawa Bay Middle School.

A total of 836 schools have been designated HeartSafe since the program began. There are currently 614 schools with an active designation.

The program is a collaboration between the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Department of Education, the American Heart Association, the Michigan High School Athletic Association and the Michigan Alliance for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young.

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To qualify for the program, schools must have a written medical emergency response plan, a team that can respond to emergencies during school hours and after school events, and current CPR and AED certification for at least 10% of staff, 50% of coaches and 100% of head coaches and physical education staff.

Schools must also have accessible, properly maintained and inspected AEDs with signs identifying their locations, plus annual cardiac emergency response drills and pre-participation sports screenings of all student athletes.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Increased focus on cardiac safety pays dividends for Hamilton Schools