(Left to Right) Megan Beliveau from Kevs Foundation, Gateway Nurse Leader Jodi Cabral-Croke, Superintendent David Hopson and Susan Canning (also from Kevs Foundation) hold the new AEDs granted to Gateway by the Foundation. (Submitted photo)
HUNTINGTON – The Gateway Regional School Committee heard a presentation from Jodi Cabral-Croke, district Nurse Leader and her guests—Megan Beliveau and Susan Canning from Kevs Foundation—about the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young people. The women also presented Cabral-Croke and Superintendent David B. Hopson with two new automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) for use at Gateway.
According to the Kevs Foundation website, cardiovascular disease is the second leading medical cause of death in children and adolescents in the United States. Kevs Foundation, created in memory of student athlete Kevin J. Major who died in 2011 at age 19 of sudden cardiac arrest, grants resources to schools to increase the availability of AEDs and hands-on CPR training to those who work with young people.
Realizing that Gateway’s AEDs were aging and were located in hard-to-find areas of the schools, Croke sought assistance from Kevs Foundation to better prepare the school to respond if a student, staff member or guest went into cardiac arrest on school grounds. Her application proved successful and several changes were made as a result, including embedding a hands only CPR course as part of the high school health curriculum; and providing parent education at sports sign-ups with a link to a You Tube video on SCA with parents of student athletes signing that they have watched and understand the video.
In addition, the location of the AEDs at the main complex has changed. There is now a defibrillator located in the main lobby across from the security booth and in the lobby outside of the HS gym, to ensure that the devices are more accessible to the public. AEDs at Chester (across from the school gymnasium) and Littleville (main lobby) stayed the same.
Kevs Foundation reports that most occurrences of Sudden Cardiac Arrest occur in public places, and may be triggered by a sudden blow to the chest between heartbeats. While they protect a child from muscle and bone injury, chest protectors do not prevent SCA; the use of an AED is the only effective treatment.
Cabral-Croke was grateful for the opportunity to make Gateway even safer for students. “I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who participated with and supported this effort. It was a great example of a community coming together to improve safety and awareness.”
