Riley Children’s Health celebrates 100 Heart Safe Schools across Indiana
Milestone highlights statewide efforts to prepare schools to respond to sudden cardiac emergencies and save lives
Indianapolis – Riley Children’s Health is celebrating a major milestone as 100 Indiana schools have earned Heart Safe School designation through Project ADAM Indiana, the state’s first and only affiliate of the national initiative dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac death. The achievement reflects Riley Children’s commitment to extending its expertise beyond hospital walls to improve the health and safety of Hoosiers.
Through Project ADAM Indiana, Riley Children’s provides schools across the state with free resources and guidance to strengthen cardiac emergency preparedness. Through education, training and comprehensive emergency response planning, the program helps students and staff recognize and respond to sudden cardiac arrest.
Dr. Adam Kean, who previously served as a pediatric electrophysiologist at Riley Children's, established Project ADAM Indiana in 2020. Today, the program is supported by a team that includes Riley Children’s pediatric cardiologists Dr. Mark Ayers and Dr. Anna Deitch, Riley Children’s program coordinator Nick Hogan and Project ADAM Indiana program advisor Tonya Aerts.
“Reaching 100 Heart Safe Schools is an important milestone in our efforts to strengthen cardiac emergency preparedness across Indiana,” said Dr. Mark Ayers, pediatric cardiologist at Riley Children’s. “We continue to build on this momentum and encourage more schools to become prepared to respond when every second counts. Through Project ADAM, Indiana is setting a national example for how health systems and schools can work together to save lives.”
Building a network of Heart Safe Schools
To earn Heart Safe School designation, schools must demonstrate their readiness to respond to a sudden cardiac emergency by implementing several key safety measures, including:
- Training school personnel in CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use.
- Developing and annually reviewing a written cardiac emergency response plan.
- Conducting annual cardiac emergency response drills.
- Ensuring AEDs are accessible, properly maintained and strategically located throughout school campuses.
- Promoting awareness and education about sudden cardiac arrest.
“Project ADAM Indiana gives people the confidence to act when a cardiac emergency happens,” said Nick Hogan, program coordinator at Riley Children’s. “Instead of feeling helpless, students and staff feel empowered and have the tools to respond. That preparation can save lives.”
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively because of an electrical malfunction. Although rare in young people, it is a leading cause of exercise-related death among young athletes. Immediate CPR and rapid access to an AED are critical to survival, with the chances of survival decreasing by approximately 10 percent for every minute without intervention.
Cardiac emergencies can happen anywhere on a school campus, affecting students, teachers, staff and visitors alike. In rural communities, where emergency medical services may take longer to arrive, having trained school staff ready to respond can be especially critical.
A recent Indiana law requires schools to have AEDs available at sporting, drama, musical and other student events, and mandates CPR and AED training for designated personnel. Schools must also maintain venue-specific emergency action plans and communicate AED locations and readiness to event supervisors.
As schools statewide have implemented these new requirements, Project ADAM Indiana has accelerated its work, delivering expert guidance, proven frameworks and the comprehensive support that transforms regulatory compliance into life-saving action.
The national Project ADAM program was established in 1999 in memory of Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old Wisconsin high school basketball player who died from sudden cardiac arrest. What began as an effort to prevent similar tragedies has grown into a network of affiliate programs dedicated to making schools and communities better prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies.
To learn more about Project ADAM Indiana and how schools can pursue Heart Safe School designation, visit Riley Children’s Health Project ADAM webpage and the national Project ADAM website.
