SafeBeat to Conduct Preventative Heart Screenings for Leon County, Florida 6th Grade Public School Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SafeBeat to Conduct Preventative Heart Screenings for Leon County, Florida 6th Grade Public School Students
Leon County, Florida, August 20, 2018 - SafeBeat, in collaboration with Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville, Florida and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, will make preventative heart screenings available to all sixth grade public school students in the Leon County School District in September and October. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of The Foundation for Leon County Schools each student may receive a heart screening which will include child/family medical history, bi-lateral blood pressure, body mass index (height and weight), and a 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG). This information will further supply data to help detect and prevent obesity and hypertension. Screenings will be provided at no charge so that no child is left out because of the inability to pay for preventative heart screening.
All sixth-grade public school students in the Leon County School District will be given the opportunity to be screened for potential underlying heart defects that may lead to sudden cardiac death.
While this service is not a requirement for athletic participation, the Leon County School District highly recommends that all parents of sixth-grade students in the Leon County School District please consider registering their child for this heart screening service. This preventative heart screening does not replace the standard physical but is considered to be in addition to it. Parents are encouraged to register their child whether their child has received a standard physical or screening before or not. Registration is available through the SafeBeat website at www.safebeat.org.
About SafeBeat
SafeBeat is a national initiative that establishes free, local heart screenings, heart health education and emergency action planning resources in an effort to directly target three major long-standing epidemics in America’s youth: sudden cardiac death, hypertension, and obesity. SafeBeat collaborates with local hospitals, medical professionals, schools, individuals and businesses to allow them to bring the SafeBeat Initiative to communities in an effort to detect underlying heart conditions in youth that may lead to sudden cardiac death and create a healthier generation. To learn more about SafeBeat and get involved please visit our website at www.safebeat.org and be sure to follow them on Facebook www.facebook.com/safebeat4life, Instagram @safebeat4life, and Twitter @safebeat4life.
About Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville
Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, is a part of Baptist Health, Northeast Florida’s most comprehensive health system serving every stage of life. Wolfson Children’s is the only hospital just for kids in Northeast Florida and serves as the region’s pediatric referral center. Staffed 24/7 by pediatric nurses and other healthcare professionals specially trained to work with children, the 216-bed, patient- and family-centered hospital features the latest pediatric medical technology in a welcoming, childfriendly environment. At Wolfson Children’s, nationally recognized pediatric specialists representing nearly every medical and surgical specialty work with pediatricians to provide care for children of all ages with congenital heart conditions, cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and endocrinology disorders, orthopaedic conditions, behavioral health conditions, and more. Wolfson Children’s pediatric partners include Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville, the University of Florida College of Medicine—Jacksonville, and Mayo Clinic Florida. For additional information, please visit wolfsonchildrens.org.
About Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH)
Founded in 1948, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) is a private, not-for-profit community healthcare system committed to transforming care, advancing health, and improving lives with an ultimate vision of leading the community to be the healthiest in the nation. Serving a 17-county region in North Florida and South Georgia, TMH is comprised of a 772-bed acute care hospital, a psychiatric hospital, multiple specialty care centers, three residency programs, 35 affiliated physician practices and partnerships with Doctors’ Memorial Hospital, Florida State University College of Medicine, UF Health, Weems Memorial Hospital and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit TMH.ORG.
About The Foundation for Leon County Schools
The Foundation for Leon County Schools garners private and public engagement to support Leon County Public Schools. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the Foundation provides our schools with programs and resources that are not supported by tax dollars, to ensure that Leon County remains one of the top performing districts in the state. Since its establishment in 1986, the Foundation has invested more than $2 million dollars for the enhancement of public education in Leon County.
CONTACT
The SafeBeat Team
229.632.5004
info@safebeat.org
www.safebeat.org
Vikki Mioduszewski, APR
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Wolfson Children's Hospital
Vikki.Mioduszewski@bmcjax.com
O: 904.202.5122 • C: 904.304.0041
www.wolfsonchildrens.org
Anna Saunders
Communications Strategist
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare
Anna.Saunders@TMH.ORG
850.431.5760
www.tmh.org
