Sign up for youth cardio screening and emergency training

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the leading cause of death for young people exercising or at play.

November 22, 2023 1:30 am
Vashon CERT team leaders work on a project to make sure the unit’s cache of equipment and supplies is in great shape as the winter storm season approaches. From left to right: Marie Bradley, Jan Lyell, MJ Witt, CERT Manager Jan Milligan, and Allen de Steiguer (Rick Wallace Photo).
Vashon CERT team leaders work on a project to make sure the unit’s cache of equipment and supplies is in great shape as the winter storm season approaches. From left to right: Marie Bradley, Jan Lyell, MJ Witt, CERT Manager Jan Milligan, and Allen de Steiguer (Rick Wallace Photo).

Youth Cardio Screening

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills. It’s the leading cause of death for young people exercising or at play on school campuses.

Most victims of SCA have hidden cardiac abnormalities that can be discovered through specialized screening of a young person’s heart. That’s why the Nick of Time Foundation has teamed up with UW Sports Medicine clinicians to provide free non-invasive heart health screenings at area schools, and will be at Vashon High School on December 6. You must sign up in advance here.

You can return completed sign-up forms to the high school main office, or scan and email them to: NickOfTime@VashonSD.org For questions, call (206) 463-9171. The screenings are open to any student aged 12 to 24 years, regardless of where they attend school.

This video gives you a picture of a typical Nick of Time screening experience.

For this Vashon event, the Nick of Time Foundation has partnered with Vashon’s Sam Yates Community Foundation, which has been working to place Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) around the island. Other event partners include the University of Washington Center for Sports Cardiology and Vashon’s Medical Reserve Corps.

CERT = Community Emergency Response Team

CERT’s name very well describes how important the program is to the island’s preparedness. As CERT volunteer MJ Witt puts it: “Being on an island, it’s very clear that we are the very last link in the help chain. If a neighbor needs help, I’ll move heaven and earth to get them what they need.”

You can now sign up to join this vital community effort, because a CERT basic training course has been scheduled for the first time since the pandemic. Part 1 of the three-part course takes place on Jan. 13. It’s important to get signed up for Part 1, because it’s required before the rest of the CERT basic training. The more extensive training that follows Part 1 empowers you to be an official part of the island’s response during a disaster.

To find out more about Vashon CERT and these trainings, check out this online flyer. You can sign up by emailing CERT@VashonBePrepared.org or by calling or texting (206) 949-1184.

We caught up with Vashon CERT team leaders as they were working on a project to make sure the unit’s cache of equipment and supplies is in great shape as we move into winter storm season.

We asked the group why they have been so devoted to the CERT program over the years, and to share some reasons why newsletter readers would be glad to join them.

Marie Bradley: “I like the feeling of being on a team and I like to get together with other people. CERT gave me a way to be part of our community after my husband passed away.”

Jan Lyell: “I like being a helper, making sure people have what they need. We take care of each other as a team and we make sure we’re safe.”

Allen de Steiguer: “I enjoy getting people together, working together to get a job done. It’s a challenge and really rewarding.”

HV.1: New Dominant COVID Variant

There’s a new COVID variant in town, another one of the many iterations of Omicron. More than a quarter of all U.S. COVID cases are HV.1, overtaking the old dominant strain of EG.5. The new variant reaches this new peak as we move into the annual respiratory virus season that arrives every winter. Experts are saying that HV.1 is close enough to the previous frontrunner that vaccines and tests are still effective, and it does not seem to be causing more serious disease.

Actions you can take to keep yourself and others safer: stay home and test for COVID if you have symptoms, wear a mask in crowded situations, and get the latest COVID vaccine.

Vashon COVID Risk Level: Basic

The COVID hospitalization rate remains below the trigger point for an increase in the risk level of our advice tool. The updated COVID vaccine aims to prevent severe disease and hospitalization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the latest version of the vaccine for everyone six months and older.

  • Wear an N95 mask indoors in public if you have been exposed to COVID, are at risk for health or other reasons, or live or spend time with someone at high rick.
  • Get the updated COVID and flu vaccines.
  • Maintain good ventilation at home and at work. Avoid those with suspected or confirmed COVID.
  • If exposed to COVID, wear a mask in public and avoid contact with those at high risk for 10 days.
  • Always home-test if you have symptoms. If you test positive, isolate for at least five days and until you test negative. Also check in right away with your doctor about treatment, even if your symptoms are initially mild.
  • If immunocompromised, discuss additional preventive actions with your healthcare provider.

The VashonBePrepared COVID Risk Advice Tool aggregates data in our exposure area, which includes King and Pierce counties. The primary metric evaluated by the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps is the COVID hospitalization rate, because public health agencies reliably report that.