Free heart screenings were offered on Feb. 25 in the field house for all students courtesy of Young Hearts 4 Life (YH4L).
EKGs, also called electrocardiograms or ECGs, are heart screenings that can identify a multitude of heart conditions, significantly more than methods such as sports physicals. They are short, painless, and typically cost around $250-500.
According to data from 117 polled students, 69.2% signed up, and an additional 16.2% were undecided or planned to participate.
“It’s important for kids to participate so they can understand how to advocate for their health and understand that the risks are out there,” Denise Arenz, YH4L program director, said.
All members of the organization, aside from the program director, secretary and nurse, are volunteers. The doctors and staff helping on-site are all volunteers who sacrifice a workday to perform the screenings at schools in the Chicagoland area. Results from the screenings are confidential, and only female volunteers were assigned to perform EKGs on female students to ensure all participants were comfortable.
“I used to volunteer, and I found it rewarding. When the opportunity became available, I decided that I wanted to join the organization,” Arenz said. “Everybody does an hour and a half training session before the screening where they learn about sudden cardiac arrest, how to perform an EKG, and how to place the stickies.”
According to the official Young Hearts 4 Life website, more than 280,000 students have received heart screenings from the organization, and over 3,100 were identified as “at risk.” The percentage of students who were actively at risk was slim, only about 0.01%. However, the possibility of a sudden heart condition is always plausible, and Kaitlyn Polakovic, PE teacher, said that there have always been students identified with conditions during the screenings, even if only a few.
“You never know what’s going on with your heart, so you might as well take the opportunity to get it scanned for free,” Hayden Wendt, junior, said.
