Michigan Department of Human Services program first recognized NDPMA in 2016.
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy has been re-certified as a “MI HEARTSafe School,” which means all buildings on the school campus, including the lower school, are fully prepared and equipped to respond to cardiac emergencies. NDPMA first received certification in October 2016.
The MI HEARTSafe program recognizes schools prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies and is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Human Services (MDHHS), Michigan Department of Education (MDE), American Heart Association (AHA), Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAAA), and Michigan Alliance for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the Young (MAP-SCDY).
“We are proud to support Michigan’s HEARTSafe schools,” interim state schools superintendent Sheila Alles said in a recent press release. “Ensuring schools are prepared for sudden cardiac emergencies through planning, training and life-saving AEDs is an important part of having safer learning environments for students, staff and the community.”
Public Act 12 of 2014 requires all schools, grades K – 12, to have a cardiac emergency response plan in place, and Public Act 388 of 2016 requires CPR and AED instruction for pupils enrolled in grades 7 – 12. Since inception of the program, the MI HEARTSafe School Program has recognized nearly 500 school buildings that have taken steps above and beyond to prepare to respond in the event of a cardiac emergency.
This is MI HEARTSafe Schools program’s sixth year and each designation lasts for three years.
In order for a school to receive a MI HEARTSafe School designation, it must perform at least one cardiac emergency response drill per year; have a written medical emergency response plan and team; have current CPR/AED certification of at least 10 percent of staff, 100 percent of head varsity coaches, and 50 percent of P.E. staff; have accessible, properly maintained and inspected AEDs with signs identifying their location; and ensure pre-participation sports screening of all student athletes using the current physical and history form endorsed by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
For more information about the MI HEARTSafe Schools program, visit www.migrc.org/miheartsafe.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
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About Notre Dame
Notre Dame is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named Michigan's best 50 Catholic high school three of the last four years (Niche.com). Notre Dame's lower and middle schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All Notre Dame schools have been authorized by International Baccalaureate as "World Schools" and the entire institution is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers. It is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org