LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If someone near had a cardiac arrest, would you know how to respond?
That's the question Little Rock School District is presenting to its staff members and the school district put its skills to the test Thursday morning with a surprise drill.
“We've been training for about a month now," Roberts Elementary Principal Steven Helmick said. "We've had some internal drills, we've had a lot of CPR training and certification as a staff. “Today felt real... we want to have those drills be a reality for us, so that way when something happens our team is ready to respond.”
Roberts Elementary is the first school in the state to pilot "Project Adam."
“There was a young man named Adam that was at a basketball game, playing basketball," said Charles Wooley with the Heart Institute at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. "[He] collapsed on the basketball court, there was not an AED available and he passed away."
The hospital works closely with the Little Rock School District to make sure a tragedy does not happen on their campuses.
“We know that in 2022, there were 350,000 out of hospital cardiac arrest,” Wooley said. “20% of the population is in schools during the daytime, so it makes sense that we would put our focus into our schools.”
Wooley said learning how to do proper CPR and knowing how to use an AED is vital knowledge when trying to save a life.
“Being on the scene quickly with an AED and starting CPR immediately is the key to success if you're going to have any kind of survival rate,” Wooley said.
This training is something the school district plans to continue with Roberts Elementary being the first of many.
“We are providing cardiac-safe schools in our districts," And I think that's very important for our staff and our students and anybody who comes into our buildings,” Director of Health Services at Little Rock School District Jacqueline McEuen said.