Update: We have added an additional day of appointments for Pine Bush High School students on Tuesday, Sept. 26. Click here for more information and to secure your spot!
Pine Bush Central Schools is teaming up with MCORE Foundation to provide students, ages 12 and up, with a free screening for early detection of cardiac issues.
MCORE Foundation personnel will be in Pine Bush on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at Pine Bush High School, and Thursday, Sept. 28, at both Circleville Middle School and Crispell Middle School, to provide the screenings. Sixty screenings can be done at PBHS, and 30 each at CVMS and Crispell.
MCORE has added an additional day of screening for Pine Bush High School students on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Why test?
Every year we hear about a young person, often an athlete, who collapses and dies from an undiagnosed heart condition. Routine physicals do not address cardiac health. In January, the world watched as Damar Hamlin, a 24-year-old football player for the Buffalo Bills and an elite athlete, collapsed to the field after being hit. He suffered sudden cardiac arrest. This summer, Bronny James, 18, an incoming college freshman and All-American basketball player, suffered sudden cardiac arrest during a practice. Quick medical attention saved both of these athletes.
It’s not just for athletes.
Kids and adults who never run a race or compete in an athletic event can have undiagnosed heart conditions. The earlier these conditions are discovered, the better the outcomes.
MCORE Foundation was formed to provide low- and no-cost cardiac assessments for young people. Pine Bush Central Schools believes these assessments are vital to the health and welfare of our students and has partnered with MCORE Foundation to provide them. Students in Circleville Middle School, Crispell Middle School and Pine Bush High School, with a minimum age of 12, are eligible for the screening at no cost to families.
One in 300 kids has an undetected heart condition. Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student athletes. Even with automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools, most cardiac fatalities occur before a defibrillator can be administered.
The difference between heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association is this: A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked. Sudden cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating.
Watch an informative video here.
What to expect at the screening
The screenings take approximately 10-12 minutes and will take place at your child’s school, performed by registered cardiac sonographers. An electrocardiogram (ECG) and a limited echocardiogram are performed. The results are read by an MCORE team of pediatric and general cardiologists and provided to parents/guardians for future access.
Each school will have a private area for the testing. Students will be excused from their class for their appointment time. Someone will be at the testing room to check them in for their appointment.
Get Started
There are now 180 appointment slots available for this testing – 120 at Pine Bush High School, and 30 each at CVMS and Crispell. Please click here to choose your appointment.
To learn more, go to the MCORE Foundation website and also read their frequently asked questions.
Click here for the Crispell flyer
Click here for information on the additional PBHS appointments on Sept. 26