Every Arizona school should be prepared to save a life

Christina Reuss, M.D.

Submitted photo/Mirelle Inglefield

Cardiac arrest doesn't care where you are — or how old you are. As a cardiologist, I've learned that survival often comes down to what happens before a patient ever reaches the hospital.”

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OPINION — Each year, thousands of Arizonans experience sudden cardiac arrest, with the vast majority happening outside of a hospital setting.

When the heart stops, blood flow to the brain is cut off, and every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival.

Too often, the outcome depends on whether a bystander knows CPR and whether an automated external defibrillator is nearby. An AED is a portable, life-saving medical device used to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It automatically analyzes the heart's rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to help restore a normal heartbeat when necessary.

Every student, teacher and school visitor should be able to count on their school being prepared to save a life. Most of us don't expect to witness a cardiac emergency. We certainly don't expect it to happen in a school.

But cardiac arrest doesn't care where you are — or how old you are. As a cardiologist, I've learned that survival often comes down to what happens before a patient ever reaches the hospital.

Arizona deserves credit for taking an important step by requiring high school athletic programs to have access to AEDs. Organizations like the American Heart Association have been strong advocates for these lifesaving measures because they know preparedness works. But passing a law isn't the same as fully implementing it.

Many schools still face real financial barriers. AEDs cost money. Staff training costs money. Developing and practicing a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan takes time and resources. Those investments can be difficult for schools already stretching every dollar.

Without dedicated funding and coordinated support, preparedness depends too much on individual school budgets rather than a consistent statewide standard. The result is that not every campus is as prepared as it should be — and that should concern all of us. While Arizona has made progress, we don’t yet have a clear picture of how many schools still lack fully implemented plans, functioning AEDs, or trained staff, and that uncertainty itself is a problem.

This isn't only about students. Schools are gathering places for entire communities. Teachers, coaches, staff, volunteers, parents and grandparents all spend time on campus. A cardiac emergency can happen during a basketball game, a parent-teacher conference, graduation or just another Tuesday afternoon. That's why preparedness in schools is really about protecting entire communities, not only students.

Among the things I love most about cardiology is that so much of what saves lives happens before there's ever a crisis. We talk about prevention all the time: knowing your blood pressure, making healthy lifestyle choices or getting screened regularly.

But prevention also means making sure that when the unexpected happens, someone nearby knows what to do.

CPR isn't complicated, and AEDs are designed to be used by everyday people. You certainly don't have to be a physician or a nurse to save a life. You simply have to be prepared.

That's why I believe we have an incredible opportunity in Arizona. Imagine if every student graduated knowing Hands-Only CPR, or if every school had the equipment, training and confidence to respond immediately to a cardiac emergency, supported by sustainable funding to ensure that every campus has working AEDs, trained staff and a practiced Cardiac Emergency Response Plan. Those students wouldn't just carry those skills through school, they'd carry them into their families, workplaces and communities for the rest of their lives. The ripple effect would be enormous.

The American Heart Association, through initiatives like the Phoenix Heart Ball, is actively working to help expand access to AEDs and CPR training. Businesses, foundations, civic leaders and individual donors all have an opportunity to help ensure that schools have the resources they need. The organization offers ready-to-use materials that make the process easy, helping schools create cardiac emergency response plans that typically require only a simple annual review to maintain.

Additionally, state leaders have a role to play in ensuring consistent funding and accountability so that no school is left behind. These aren't simply donations toward equipment, they're investments in the preparedness and confidence to save lives.

We know CPR works.

We know AEDs work.

Now we need to make sure every Arizona school has the resources and the support system to put that knowledge into action. Because when a cardiac emergency happens, the question won't be whether we knew what needed to be done. It will be whether we made sure someone was ready to do it.

Valley cardiologist Christina Reuss, M.D., is education liaison for the American Heart Association’s Phoenix Heart Ball. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.