Project Adam designates three Kentucky schools as Heart Safe Schools

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Norton Children’s Heart Institute worked with Daviess County High School, Burns Middle School and Meadow Lands Elementary School on Wednesday to designate them as Heart Safe Schools through Project Adam.

Project Adam, which stands for automated defibrillator in Adam’s memory, was created in honor of 17-year-old Adam Lemel, who died from sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball in 1999.

A Heart Safe School indicates the school’s staff is trained and prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency.

The non-profit says it’s helped save more than 250 lives by implementing emergency response plans for cardiac arrest events.

Organizers say they hope to continue expanding the program and its reach across more communities.

“I want every school that there’s a kid playing a sport or just in class or one of the teachers that are affecting the child’s life in a positive way. I want them to all be safe. I think, you know, as far as the spread and reach of this, I hope it gets to every single corner of Kentucky,”  said Adam Skaff, Pediatric Cardiologist of Norton Children Heart Institute.

“Our job is over not the next year, but over the next many years. We’re not going anywhere to keep serving the state of Kentucky the best we can.” Skaff added.

The staff also provided information on how other schools can contact Project Adam.

“They can obviously contact their local school and ask about it. We would be happy to help any school in Kentucky with this endeavor. Our goal was to get every single school covered by the project out and be a heart safe school and with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, we are really wanting to act as a liaison between the medical community and the school community,” Skaff said.