School district earns Heart Safe Schools designation

All GWSD sites prepared to respond to life threatening emergencies

By Kendra Walker 

The Gunnison Watershed School District is not only prepared and equipped to teach the children of our community, but also to respond to life threatening events. All four sites of the district recently earned Heart Safe Schools designations by Project Adam and the Children’s Hospital of Colorado. According to district nurse Sherilyn Skokan, GWSD is the first district in the state to have all its buildings designated as Heart Safe Schools. 

To be a Heart Safe School, each GWSD site must have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) available, teams who are trained and can respond quickly in a life-threatening emergency, medical emergency response plans in place and annual response drills with community partners.

The district has identified a Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) that can quickly respond when needed. “The teams are trained in CPR, First Aid and how to support staff and students when different medical emergencies occur including hemorrhage and overdose events,” Skokan said. 

Skokan explained that the teams complete annual MERT activation drills at each site. “These drills include participation from Gunnison County Dispatch, Gunnison Valley Hospital EMS, and Crested Butte Fire and EMS. They test our plan and communication and include a post drill review to discuss response times and identify issues for resolution.”

AEDs are portable, life-saving devices that are used to shock a heartbeat from abnormal back to normal. “If a shock is administered to the heart within 3-5 minutes of an episode, it can save a life,” said Skokan. “We have 10 AEDs in the district so that at any time an AED is available within three minutes from a person’s time of collapse.” In the past two years the district has added four additional AEDs, including two mobile devices that are brought to athletic events. 

Skokan explained the importance of having AEDs and trained teams at each school building. “Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and the primary cause of death in student athletes,” she said. “Twenty percent of a community is in its schools on any given day, so being prepared is critical.”

Skokan said that if performed quickly and effectively, CPR and AED use can triple someone’s chance of survival from a cardiac arrest. The best chance of saving a life is within 4 minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest. It takes an average of 13 minutes in rural areas for first responders to arrive. Survival rates decrease by 7-10% with each minute of delayed defibrillation.”

If a life-threatening event happens at school during a sports practice or game, Skokan said they have systems in place with athletic directors and on-site administration. She also noted that all of the district’s athletic coaches are CPR certified and are aware of where AEDs are on each site. “There wouldn’t be a MERT team response to an after-hours event, but we still have measures in place to make sure people have the safety net of having somebody CPR-certified and knowing where the AEDs are located.” She also explained that all GWSD students receive hands-only CPR training and education in 9th grade. 

Skokan is appreciative of the folks who have stepped up to join the MERT teams. 

“I’m a nurse and I’ve worked in the emergency department, so CPR to me isn’t a big ask or something that’s super scary. But we asked office managers and administrative staff and teachers to prepare for a life-threatening emergency and respond and they were so willing to help. A big thanks goes to the individuals on the medical emergency response teams. We are very proud to be the first school district in Colorado to have all our schools designated Heart Safe Schools.”