Heart health and safety have always been important for Bright Beginnings Center School Nurse Heather Welch. As a former paramedic and CPR instructor, she has seen her share of cardiac related emergencies. That is why bringing a heart safe program to BBC became a focus for her this past fall. Entering her second year as BBC School Nurse, Welch wanted to ensure a safe and prepared school environment for students, staff, and visitors so she began investigating the nationwide program Project ADAM. 

Project ADAM began in 1999 after the death of Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old Whitefish Bay, WI, high school student who collapsed and died while playing basketball. Adam suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, in which ventricular fibrillation occurred, a condition in which the ventricles cannot pump blood into the body. Defibrillation, or an AED, could have saved his life. Adam’s parents, Patty Lemel and Joe Lemel, collaborated with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to create Project ADAM in Adam’s memory. The program has worked with affiliate hospitals across 38 states to certify schools in cardiac emergency preparedness. BBC became the very first school in Massachusetts to become certified, making it the 39th state in the program.

“I love BBC and I wanted to bring in something special that would make a difference in the lives of those in our school community,” said Welch. “It’s all about our community and doing what’s best for the kids and the teachers and the families.”

Nurse Heather, as she is known to students at BBC, worked for months under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Jacobs from Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Jacobs directed the process and the composition of an extensive cardiac emergency response plan that Welch compiled for the school. She then went on to train a team of seven additional staff members that would be called on to respond in the event of a “code blue” cardiac emergency in the building. Team members included Principal Kristen Poisson, Pre K Teachers Lindsay Fitzgibbon and Guinevere Rebello, School Adjustment Counselor Nicole Harn, Extended Day Coordinator Tracy Johnson, Custodian Jon Brown, and Administrative Assistants Jill LaChapelle and Angelina Tobin. All team members participated in CPR training and additional team meetings, practice drills, and training under Welch’s guidance. She also worked with the Mike Weaver Helping Friends Forever Foundation to upgrade the school’s AED and obtain a trainer device.

“It’s been quite a process,” said Welch, “I’ve worked very hard on this initiative. It’s been amazing to see it come to fruition. The leadership and staff at BBC have been so supportive in obtaining my goal of bringing Project ADAM to Hopedale.”

On Thursday, May 22nd, Dr. Jacobs visited BBC for the team’s live drill, the final step in the certification process. The team responded to the emergency in one minute and four seconds, well under the three minute limit. Hopedale Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene and participated in the live action simulation of the cardiac emergency. All went well and BBC completed their goal of being the first school in Massachusetts to obtain Project ADAM certification. Also in attendance at BBC on Thursday were State Representative Brian Murray, who provided a Citation to Welch and Poisson for the school’s accomplishments, as well as Sabrina Webb, Development Director of the Central Massachusetts chapter of the American Heart Association. At the conclusion of the drill, Webb announced that Welch would be honored as a “Heart Hero” at the Association’s annual Heart and Stroke Walk on June 7th at the College of the Holy Cross. 

“This is the kind of work we love to see and that we need more of,” Webb told the team, “we will be thrilled to honor Heather at our annual walk.”

The Bright Beginnings Center’s preschool student population is young, between the ages of 3-5, but Principal Kristen Poisson says that this type of work is crucial for all age groups, “You never know if a student might have an undetected health situation or if a parent or grandparent or other visitor to our building might have an emergency. The work Nurse Heather has done to prepare our building for this type of event is so important.”

For her part, Welch will continue to educate her colleagues and others through CPR and First Aid courses she teaches. She will also bring heart healthy curriculum lessons, a component of Project ADAM that she and Poisson developed to the building’s preschool classrooms this spring focusing on topics such as exercise, nutrition, and what the heart does. Her accomplishment through Project ADAM will be recognized with a banner outside the school but for Welch it means much more, “This accomplishment reflects months of preparation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to the safety and well-being of our students and staff. It represents what can happen when a school and its community come together with purpose and heart