LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Children's Hospital is helping connect Fayette County high schools with heart health resources.

Imitating a real emergency through a series of procedures, including CPR, Frederick Douglass High School’s (FDHS) automated external defibrillator was put to use through Project ADAM. The initiative works to save lives across the U.S., teaching and encouraging schools to plan and utilize AEDs.

Staff members like resource officer Gary Gruman helped FDHS earn its heart safe certification.

“We train every year in scenarios like this," Gruman said. "We get certified every two years, so this was kind of routine. We're used to it."

Printed on a plaque gifted to the school, the American Heart Association said there are more than 357,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests yearly, with around 10% of those surviving.

Shaun Mohan of UK HealthCare was among those assisting educators with the drill.

“The scary thing is that this is a rare occurrence,” he said. “Essentially, the sooner you recognize it, the sooner you start CPR, getting that AED, the chance of resuscitation, getting someone back to their pre-arrest condition, it improves by threefold.”

Mayor Linda Gorton joined the school to mark June 3 as “Project ADAM Day” in Lexington. She applauded the school and others for pledging to help. 

“For the parents who send their children to this school every day and for the teachers and the administrators, it's a great thing to know that you have a school that understands how to do this when they find a child or a teacher with a cardiac emergency," Gorton said. 

The Kentucky Children's Hospital will move on to middle schools and, eventually, elementary schools.