A life-saving service is being offered for free to student athletes in Kaufman County.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 1,300 high school and college aged students die from heart problems each year and there's a push to get every high school student screened, starting in Kaufman County.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman raised money to purchase a portable ECG device.
The funds used to purchase the equipment came from Texas Health Kaufman’s Black Tie Ball, an annual community fundraiser, focused on improving cardiovascular health in Kaufman and the surrounding areas.
It's a five minute procedure that can tell doctors if a student has any risk of sudden cardiac death.
Doctors say it provides results more reliable than the standard EKG for teens ages 14 to 18.
They're providing the screening for free.
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"It doesn't happen often, but when a young child dies, it's just devastating for everyone, physicians included. So, we want to try and find better ways to pick them out of the basket and identify them and help them live a normal life," said Dr. Paul Guttuso, physician at Texas Health Kaufman.
If doctors find an issue with a student's ECG reading, the student would go to a cardiologist for a follow-up.
That visit is also free if a family can't afford it.
"We are trying to get that knowledge and that application to the small communities around here people that would not otherwise have that available to them," said Guttuso.
Clacie Terry, a tenth-grader at Kaufman High, received a normal reading, but says she's happy to have the peace of mind.
"I like that they can bring it to all the different towns so every one can be sure that they're safe," said Terry.
Bringing this kind of access to heart health technology to the rural towns in Kaufman County was a priority for the health team, said officials at Texas Health Resources.
They report that the number of heart disease-related deaths is about 247 for 100,000 people, twice the national average.
“We believe part of the reason that Kaufman County experiences a higher incidence of cardiovascular complexities comes from the feedback that we received in our recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The responses accumulated from the community on their own health behaviors and needs show that Kaufman and the surrounding communities have lower indicators of healthy behaviors, such as exercise and regular screenings," said Ajith Pai, PharmD, MBA, RPh, Professional & Support Services Officer/Director of Pharmacy.
