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Post by title1parent on Jan 16, 2009 6:37:25 GMT -5
Indian Prairie School District 204 is teaming up with the Midwest Heart Community Foundation, Edward Hospital, and the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation on Young Hearts for Life Cardiac Screening for high school students. The program will be offered at Waubonsie Valley High School on March 19, 20 and April 9 and at Neuqua Valley High School on April 16, 17 and May 1.
Young Hearts for Life Cardiac Screening is a free, voluntary EKG screening program that involves a simple three-minute EKG administered to participating students. The goal of the screening program is to identify high school students at risk for sudden cardiac death, which it is estimated claims the lives of more than 30 young adults each week in the U.S. Over the past few years, Indian Prairie has lost three students to undiagnosed heart abnormalities.
With more than 8,500 Indian Prairie high school students, the collaboration between Indian Prairie and Midwest Heart represents the largest high school screening effort in the history of the Young Hearts program. Hundreds of volunteers from the community are needed to assist with the screenings.
Community members interested in volunteering at Waubonsie Valley can contact Patty Smith at WVYH4L@gmail.com. Neuqua Valley volunteers can contact Joni Blackman at NVYH4L@gmail.com.
Dr. Joseph Marek, cardiologist with Midwest Heart Specialists and program director for Young Hearts for Life, will oversee the testing results on-site with a team of fellow heart specialists who volunteer their time in support of this program. Of the 20,000 high school students tested to date, more than 370 students were identified as needing further evaluation by their primary care physician and in some cases testing and treatment.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common cause of sudden death in young adults comprising more than one-third of the cases. Approximately one in 500 people are affected by this genetic abnormality. An electrocardiogram (EKG) detects certain impulse patterns or “markers” associated with HCM that a stethoscope cannot.
While the cost of the screening is free for students, there are operational costs associated with the program. The Indian Prairie Educational Foundation has generously stepped forward to cover the costs and extends an invitation for other businesses to become involved in supporting the program.
Dr. Stephen Daeschner, Indian Prairie superintendent, appreciates how community organizations have come together to support students. "I am very grateful to the Midwest Heart Community Foundation, Edward Hospital, and to our Indian Prairie Educational Foundation for lending their support and resources to a program that has the potential of impacting the well being of our youth."
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Post by asmodeus on Jan 16, 2009 8:42:33 GMT -5
What's not mentioned is what happens to the "1 in 500" people who are diagnosed with HCM. Do they have expensive surgery? Do they go on medication for life? In other words, is this a covert way of finding new patients (customers)? Is it like all the auto repair shops that offer "free" inspections for your car? Are they really being generous, or as most of us suspect, using the inspection as a way to rope us in?
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Post by momto4 on Jan 16, 2009 9:38:02 GMT -5
What's not mentioned is what happens to the "1 in 500" people who are diagnosed with HCM. Do they have expensive surgery? Do they go on medication for life? In other words, is this a covert way of finding new patients (customers)? Is it like all the auto repair shops that offer "free" inspections for your car? Are they really being generous, or as most of us suspect, using the inspection as a way to rope us in? Boy are you cynical. This is a generous offer that comes to us for the cost of providing hundreds of volunteers. Once they find out a student needs additional screening, the next level of test is done on site. Then if additional tests are needed the student/parents are informed and they go on to the doctor of their choice. The people running the program do not know the outcome of the students that are referred on because they don't hear anything back beyond referring. This is an effort to save the lives of students and one that I greatly appreciate. I am sure the parents of students who have died suddenly from undetected heart conditions wish that something like this had been offered for their children. Though it won't catch all potential problems, it is well worth it to know that your child is at risk of sudden death so that you can seek medical care and take appropriate precautions.
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Post by asmodeus on Jan 16, 2009 12:30:32 GMT -5
Can't disagree with you there...
Yet the comparison I gave regarding auto repair shops is a perfect example of someone providing what on the surface appears to be an altruistic offer, yet everyone knows is nothing more than a way to get potential customers in the door. And I would bet that almost every time someone takes them up on the "free" offer, the mechanic finds something to charge them for. (We've even seen undercover reports where mechanics sabotaged a car, and then showed the owner he needed expensive repairs.)
While I won't go as far to say that the hospitals are running the same scam, I think the reality is that the medical establishment may end up making more money on treatment of the people diagnosed than it costs to run the program. Certainly, if your child was one of the unlucky ones diagnosed with a problem, you would be thankful (similarly, you would be grateful if the free car inspection resulted in the discovery of a potentially dangerous problem). So the part of the story that irked me was the plea for corporate sponsors, when it is possible that the whole thing is a money maker. Whether it was conceived and designed as a money maker is the big question.
It reminds me of a clinic a friend of mine went to that offered a complete physical for a ridiculously cheap price. It sounded like they couldn't be making money based on all the tests they were giving him for only $190. Sure enough, the doctor suggested that the person undergo several followup tests (conveniently offered a the same clinic) including a full body scan for $800.
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Post by gatordog on Jan 16, 2009 12:59:35 GMT -5
..... While I won't go as far to say that the hospitals are running the same scam, I think the reality is that the medical establishment may end up making more money on treatment of the people diagnosed than it costs to run the program. ..... So the part of the story that irked me was the plea for corporate sponsors, when it is possible that the whole thing is a money maker. Whether it was conceived and designed as a money maker is the big question. So, lets put asmodeus down as a proponent of single-payer, universal heath care
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Post by warriorpride on Jan 16, 2009 14:24:30 GMT -5
Can't disagree with you there... Yet the comparison I gave regarding auto repair shops is a perfect example of someone providing what on the surface appears to be an altruistic offer, yet everyone knows is nothing more than a way to get potential customers in the door. And I would bet that almost every time someone takes them up on the "free" offer, the mechanic finds something to charge them for. (We've even seen undercover reports where mechanics sabotaged a car, and then showed the owner he needed expensive repairs.) While I won't go as far to say that the hospitals are running the same scam, I think the reality is that the medical establishment may end up making more money on treatment of the people diagnosed than it costs to run the program. Certainly, if your child was one of the unlucky ones diagnosed with a problem, you would be thankful (similarly, you would be grateful if the free car inspection resulted in the discovery of a potentially dangerous problem). So the part of the story that irked me was the plea for corporate sponsors, when it is possible that the whole thing is a money maker. Whether it was conceived and designed as a money maker is the big question. It reminds me of a clinic a friend of mine went to that offered a complete physical for a ridiculously cheap price. It sounded like they couldn't be making money based on all the tests they were giving him for only $190. Sure enough, the doctor suggested that the person undergo several followup tests (conveniently offered a the same clinic) including a full body scan for $800. Asmo - do you ever have any medical tests done on you or anyone else in your family? I'll assume the answer is yes. The next question is: why? I'll assume that the anwer is: to see if there are any medical conditions that may require further tests or treatment. By doing this test, or any other medical test, people have information that they can use that they would not have otherwise had. If a test comes back "normal" great, if it doesn't then they are free to pursue it however they want, but at least they have the information - they are free to do nothing.
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Post by momto4 on Jan 16, 2009 14:33:27 GMT -5
Can't disagree with you there... Yet the comparison I gave regarding auto repair shops is a perfect example of someone providing what on the surface appears to be an altruistic offer, yet everyone knows is nothing more than a way to get potential customers in the door. And I would bet that almost every time someone takes them up on the "free" offer, the mechanic finds something to charge them for. (We've even seen undercover reports where mechanics sabotaged a car, and then showed the owner he needed expensive repairs.) While I won't go as far to say that the hospitals are running the same scam, I think the reality is that the medical establishment may end up making more money on treatment of the people diagnosed than it costs to run the program. Certainly, if your child was one of the unlucky ones diagnosed with a problem, you would be thankful (similarly, you would be grateful if the free car inspection resulted in the discovery of a potentially dangerous problem). So the part of the story that irked me was the plea for corporate sponsors, when it is possible that the whole thing is a money maker. Whether it was conceived and designed as a money maker is the big question. It reminds me of a clinic a friend of mine went to that offered a complete physical for a ridiculously cheap price. It sounded like they couldn't be making money based on all the tests they were giving him for only $190. Sure enough, the doctor suggested that the person undergo several followup tests (conveniently offered a the same clinic) including a full body scan for $800. Ok, while the test results that indicate the need for additional testing would indeed make more money for someone somewhere in the medical industry, are you actually suggesting that this group is trying to drum up business for cardiac physicians in the Chicago area in general? That sounds crazy to me. This is not like an auto shop that performs a cheap service and will provide additional services for you for more money. This is a free service that will let you know if you need to seek further services elsewhere. I only hope we can come up with the large number of volunteers needed to screen all of our HS students this spring.
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Post by sportsmom on Jan 16, 2009 23:08:46 GMT -5
Oh, my. As parents we should be very thankful for the heart screening. To think anyone is making any money off this is ridiculous! You kind of sound like a chiropractor I went to here in town. I went in for a specific conditon and when it appeared the treatments weren't working and I decided to stop treatment, I was railed for the risk of getting arthritis in my neck in 20 years!! Oh, my , medicine at it's best on Route 59.
I know of a cardiologist here in town. The type of heart abnormalities can be found fairly easily with EKG's and ultrasounds. If you have insurance, it costs pennies. If you are uninsured, I imagine you'd do what it takes to get a diagnosis for your child.
The bummer is usually that diagnosis of an enlarged heart is to usually cease playing sports. That can be very tough for a young athlete to understand.
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Post by title1parent on Jan 19, 2009 7:25:58 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=264943Volunteer to screen teens for heart conditionBy Joni Hirsch Blackman | Daily Herald 1/19/2009 When the old year ended, did you say to yourself (after "good riddance!"), "I wish I'd found more time to volunteer last year?" If so - and even if not - here's a great opportunity to volunteer in a way that doesn't come along often. I think volunteers want a specific time and place to show up, with enough notice to get it on their calendar. They want to make a difference, but they want to know when they will be finished. If it's a finite number of times they have to be there, that's good, too - with the possibility of adding more sessions if desired. Flexibility is nice, as is a chance to spend time with both the people you're volunteering to help and other volunteers. This opportunity has all that - and it's a chance to be part of the most important component of a huge undertaking to help save the lives of young people. Without you, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 wouldn't be able to finally offer heart screenings to its 8,500 high school students. Volunteers are the key to be able to screen that many kids - nearly half as many as Midwest Heart Community Foundation has screened since 2006 - in just six days. What they're looking for is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic abnormality that affects approximately 1 in 500 people. According to a district news release, HCM is the most common cause of sudden death in young adults. HCM has claimed the lives of several students in our area, including three District 204 students: Zamarri Doby, a Waubonsie Valley junior in 2008; Roosevelt Jones III, a Neuqua Valley senior in 2004; and Signe Jenkins, a Waubonsie Valley senior in 1984. Midwest Heart's Young Hearts for Life Cardiac Screening uses electrocardiograms, which detect certain impulse patterns or "markers" associated with HCM that a stethoscope cannot. The program is free to students and completely voluntary. The idea is that after a three-minute electrocardiogram (EKG), students at risk for sudden cardiac death - and other undiagnosed heart problems - can be identified. Any student who has an abnormal EKG (cardiologists will read the EKGs immediately on-site) will be referred for further testing. Experts caution to expect a false positive rate of anywhere from 2 to 20 percent. Edward Hospital and the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation are helping to provide the mind-boggling program, though the foundation invites local businesses to offer support as well. Heart specialists volunteer their time. Nearly 300 community volunteers will be needed to donate theirs as well. In a 90-minute training session (to be offered at several times days before each screening) volunteers will be taught all they need to know to help. Then, if you never want to help again, that's fine. If you do, you're already trained and can volunteer at future screenings. Local screenings will be offered March 19 and 20 at Waubonsie Valley's main campus and April 9 at Waubonsie's freshman campus as well as April 16 and 17 at Neuqua Valley's main campus and May 1 at Neuqua's freshman building.Only current District 204 high school students are eligible for this screening. (If you're like me and read stories about previous screenings in Naperville Unit District 203 and other districts and were disappointed your child's school wasn't offering screenings, you could ask your child's primary doctor to refer the child for an EKG. If your doctor is unwilling, call Midwest Heart Specialists to arrange for a screening that will cost about $60 and will not be covered by insurance.) Approximately 30 young adults die each week across the country because of this undiagnosed condition. But there is controversy in the medical community about the value of EKG screenings as some feel it is too expensive and time consuming for a relatively "small" result. Joseph Marek, Midwest Heart Specialists cardiologist and program director for Young Hearts for Life, admits the EKGs will detect only 40 to 60 percent of the young adults at risk for this condition. But, he said, why not prevent half the deaths if we can? I agree. Death from HCM is uncommon, according to a 2005 article by Jere Longman in The New York Times cited by Marek, but "most athletic fatalities occur during training and competition. For many athletes, death is the first time they exhibit signs of HCM, which can trigger a vulnerable, diseased heart into a fatal disruption of its rhythmic beating." A few years ago, the International Olympic Committee recommended athletes under 35 receive screening by an electrocardiogram, which measures electrical activity of the heart, every two years beginning at age 12 or 14, according to the article. Italy mandates young athletes have an electrocardiogram, a physical exam and a screening of family history and has done so for 25 years. A program in Austin, Texas, had screened 3,000 high school and college athletes by 2005 and discovered six cases of HCM, according to The New York Times article. Of the 20,000 students screened by Midwest, 370 were referred to physicians for further screening and, in some cases, testing and treatment. Indian Prairie's screening will be the largest high school screening program in Young Hearts for Life history. That's where you and I come in.
The screenings will run 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for three days at each school. Volunteers are needed to help the professionals for either whole days or half days (7 to 11:15 a.m. or 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
Please e-mail Patty Smith, WVYH4L@gmail.com, to help at Waubonsie or me, NVYH4L@gmail.com, to help at Neuqua.
Current high school parents are perhaps our biggest resource, but this is also a great way for former parents to go back and say hi to the people they remember at their kids' high schools, for future high school parents to check out the people and the building they'll soon get to know well, or for any community member interested in helping out our youth.
No matter how many - or few - students are found to have a life-threatening problem that can be treated, my guess is you'll feel your time has been well-spent. I look forward to meeting you there. • Joni Hirsch Blackman writes about Naperville. E-mail her at jonihb@aol.com.
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Post by title1parent on Jan 19, 2009 8:34:35 GMT -5
This opportunity has all that - and it's a chance to be part of the most important component of a huge undertaking to help save the lives of young people. If anyone has a chance to volunteer for this event, please do so. I am going to see if I can even work 2 hours. Sadly, I read elsewhere someone's comment about not volunteering because of where they live and how one of the coordinator's was preventing them from doing so, in their mind. Again, that type of mindset only hurts the children of this district. There are many great programs and events that occur throughout this district that have NO TIES to what subdivision, boundary decision or HS location you are or will be attending. These are events/programs that span the ENTIRE district to benefit ALL of D204 students. This is a volunteer event that will potentially prevent the loss of life and devastation to another family. It is bigger than where you live or what school you go to. If you cannot see that, [the bigger picture], then that is sad.
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Post by sardines on Jan 19, 2009 14:05:10 GMT -5
This opportunity has all that - and it's a chance to be part of the most important component of a huge undertaking to help save the lives of young people. If anyone has a chance to volunteer for this event, please do so. I am going to see if I can even work 2 hours. Sadly, I read elsewhere someone's comment about not volunteering because of where they live and how one of the coordinator's was preventing them from doing so, in their mind. Again, that type of mindset only hurts the children of this district. There are many great programs and events that occur throughout this district that have NO TIES to what subdivision, boundary decision or HS location you are or will be attending. These are events/programs that span the ENTIRE district to benefit ALL of D204 students. This is a volunteer event that will potentially prevent the loss of life and devastation to another family. It is bigger than where you live or what school you go to. If you cannot see that, [the bigger picture], then that is sad. Volunteers are really needed (at least 75-100 per day). Please consider donating your time to this valuable cause. At WVHS the training session will be Tuesday March 17, at the Green Campus from 5-6:30p.m. or 7-8:30p.m. The two screening days are as previously mentioned, March 19 and 20 at the Green Campus. April 9th will be at the WV Gold Campus. Our kids are worth it.
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Post by title1parent on Jan 23, 2009 6:05:27 GMT -5
www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=266110&src=76We do not want to lose one more student to HCMBy Stephen Daeschner | Columnist 1/23/2009 Few things bring a school community together more quickly than the sudden and unfortunate death of a student. Indian Prairie Unit District 204 has lost three high school students as a result of a previously undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. More commonly referred as sudden cardiac death, this condition - if it remains undetected and/or undiagnosed - has led to the deaths of many young adults. According to researchers, HCM is a genetic abnormality present in one in 500 people and it is a condition that claims the lives of about 30 students each week in the United States alone. The dangers are real, the devastating impact on families and friends is huge, and we as a district do not want to lose one more student without taking some type of preventative action. Indian Prairie, in collaboration with Midwest Heart Community Foundation, Edward Hospital and the Indian Prairie Educational Foundation has launched an important initiative for our students and our school community. This spring we will provide free heart screenings to more than 8,000 high school students over a six-day period. The Young Hearts 4 Life Cardiac Screening program has screened more than 20,000 students from 15 schools in nearly 40 different communities. What we're attempting to do, however, is truly historic in scope because the size of our high schools represents the largest volume of students to participate in the heart screening at one time. The heavy volume of students will require a substantial number of volunteers. In the coming weeks, school officials from Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley will team with district officials and parent groups to recruit and train hundreds of parents. For us to screen our students, it will take teams of individuals from our parent organizations working side-by-side with armies of interested community members who answer the call. Area businesses also will be asked to help by donating supplies for the volunteers. I am hopeful they will follow the leadership of our Indian Prairie Educational Foundation, whose membership has agreed to lead the funding efforts for this project. The foundation understands the gravity of what we're trying to accomplish and I am deeply thankful for their strong support. The logistics behind this undertaking are huge. For the past five months, a wide range of administrators and representatives have been in planning sessions to ensure what we are setting out to accomplish is not only effective, but also does not disrupt the school day. The testing procedures themselves will be directed by licensed cardiologists and the entire screening effort takes less than four minutes to complete. If any type of abnormality is detected, on-site medical personnel will work directly with the families and their respective care providers, and the best care and discretion will be observed. While student participation in the testing is voluntary, it is my hope that a heavy percentage of students participate. Students and parents will have the opportunity to register for a screening online with Midwest Heart beginning in early February. If you are interested in volunteering at Neuqua Valley or Waubonsie Valley High Schools for this worthwhile program, visit www.ipsd.org for information. • Stephen Daeschner is superintendent of Indian Prairie Unit District 204
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Post by asmodeus on Jan 23, 2009 9:52:44 GMT -5
We can argue the merits of this all day, but my question is why the need to do this all over a six-day period? Trying to fit everyone in and get volunteers trained in a short period of time may introduce errors that may not occur if more time is taken.
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Post by momto4 on Jan 23, 2009 10:37:17 GMT -5
We can argue the merits of this all day, but my question is why the need to do this all over a six-day period? Trying to fit everyone in and get volunteers trained in a short period of time may introduce errors that may not occur if more time is taken. How would spreading this out over more time help? There is a method to doing these tests and this is the amount of time it will take to get everyone through. I haven't seen anything that would indicate the training or tests would be rushed in any way. If it were done for example as three Mondays in a row at one of the schools, how would that be better than 3 days in a row?
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Post by asmodeus on Jan 23, 2009 17:03:08 GMT -5
What I'm saying is that why not spread the tests out over the school year? Have an office where people could walk in or schedule in advance. They take the test (which takes three minutes) and then the tests are held for a week or two until a qualified person can review.
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