Morris Hospital Announces Cardiac Screening at Area High Schools
August 17, 2017, MORRIS, IL – Morris Hospital will be holding its Rhythm of Our Youth cardiac screening program at several area high schools throughout the fall semester. The purpose of the free screening is to identify area high school students who may be at risk for sudden cardiac death by identifying those who may have existing cardiac abnormalities.
Screenings will be held at Ottawa Marquette H.S. on September 1, Dwight H.S. on September 22, Yorkville H.S. on October 3 and 4, Yorkville H.S. Academy on October 11, Reed-Custer H.S. on October 31, and Wilmington H.S. on November 14.
On the screening days, a team of specially trained volunteers from Morris Hospital will provide electrocardiogram (ECG) screenings at the school free of charge to students who have received parental permission to participate. An electrocardiogram is a non-invasive, painless test that measures the electrical activity of the heart and detects certain heart abnormalities that can lead to sudden cardiac death. The test takes about three minutes to complete.
Based on results of the screenings, students could be referred to their physician for additional follow-up. Results are sent home to the student’s parents and are not shared with the school by Morris Hospital.
The program was made possible with funding provided by generous donors to the Morris Hospital Foundation. Last school year, more than 3,000 students were screened at Coal City, Gardner-South Wilmington, Minooka, Morris, Newark, and Seneca high schools, as well as Premiere Academy. The hospital plans to return to these schools during the 2018-19 school year.
Sudden cardiac death claims more than 2,000 lives of children and adolescents in the United States each year. Most victims of sudden cardiac death have had underlying heart conditions that could have been detected through a simple ECG.
Volunteers are needed on each screening date and must be at least 18 years old, pass a background check and attend a mandatory training session. To volunteer at the screening, call 815-705-7022.
For more information or to complete an electronic student consent form, go to www.morrishospital.org/rhythmofouryouth.
# # #
