Introduction

Since the first weeks after we were shocked with our unexpected diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as teenagers, we have been raising our voices to convince people to have youth screened. Our screening led to treatments which saved our lives. Hearing stories of youth after youth who instead died a preventable death was not something we have ever been able to endure in silence. This HeartCharged initiative is one way we magnified our voices and compelled action in our community.

1 in 300 youths have an undiagnosed heart condition. The goal of this initiative is to get those youths the diagnosis they need, which should lead to treatment and consequently reduce the number of preventable cardiac deaths in young people. To accomplish this, we first need them to be screened.

Due to near universal ignorance of cardiac conditions in the young, we needed those screenings to be highly-accessible. As parental permission is required to conduct them, our plan had to include an awareness component. This would drive action and insure on-going support.

The true goal of this project was beyond the community in which it commenced, broader awareness was also needed to foster acceptance and duplications in other locales. Therefore, the screenings, in-person events, and community advertising occurred within Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA reaching tens of thousands. However, the social media awareness component reached an audience of millions globally.

Objectives

• Life-saving heart screenings for youths to help eradicate preventable cardiac deaths.
• Create within our local community a replicable model of action wherein all schools offer free heart screenings on a 2-3 year rotational basis and parents elect to have said screenings performed on their children.
• Create awareness on a local level to implement, support, and sustain, as well as on an international level to replicate, said model.

Implementation

• Conceptualized the idea of free, in-school, on-going EKG heart screenings within the Miami-Dade County Public School System in Florida, USA.
• Sought support for plan, pitching prospective sponsors while encountering misinformation and disinterest.
• Found School Board Member to sponsor.
• Provided necessary data, resources, wording, and guidance. Advocated with entire Board, gave testimonies and provided witnesses. Initiative was passed, but continued vigilance has been required.
• Stopped efforts to dismiss, dilute, and discontinue initiative while ensuring access was not only for a select group of students.
• Continually working on more action-driving awareness towards original vision of universal availability of screenings to each student every few years and parents electing to have students participate.
• Delivered in-school presentations, plus additional to youth groups, which encouraged heart screenings and shared warning signs. Also spoke to parent groups.
• Created and utilized transit ads, with placement near schools, to inform viewers on the need for heart screenings and warning signs of a cardiac condition in youth.
• Created a social media campaign discussing cardiac conditions in youth and warning signs, driving the audience towards screenings and needed treatments.

Outcomes & Impact

• 24,424 students have been impacted in the two years since implementation began.
• 11,562 free, EKG screenings were performed in-school.
• 12,862 screenings were offered in conjunction with free school athletic physicals.
• Screenings have been offered in all schools with students grades 6-12 (age 11-17).
• 85+ abnormalities were detected and several life-saving procedures performed just in the first six months.
• 226+ students have been referred for further testing.
• 30 in-school and community presentations allowed us to speak directly to about 10,000 students.
• 2M+ impressions came from transit advertising visible in three distinct locations over one school year.
• 6M+ views and a high interaction rate have been organically generated so far from the ongoing social media campaign.