CLEVELAND — With the start of high school sports right around the corner, a partnership between University Hospitals, the Cleveland Browns, Denzel Ward's Make Them Know Your Name Foundation and Kaulig Companies is working to ensure that every school in Northeast Ohio has the latest technology in case an athlete suffers cardiac arrest.
According to scientific data provided by University Hospitals, about 90% of 350,000 individuals who have experienced cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year do not survive. However, AEDs drastically increase the odds of surviving cardiac arrest.
“CPR and defibrillation with an AED is essential to save someone’s life that is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. We know that every minute that passes without a shock decreases the chance of survival by 10%,” said Robert Flannery, MD, UH Drusinsky Sports Medicine physician and assistant physician to the Cleveland Browns.“We see that these things work. We want to take what we have learned at the professional level and translate it to high school and youth athletics to make them safer.”
Dr. Flannery helped work to pass Ohio House Bill 47, which mandates a specific athletic emergency plan for every high school sports venue to have an AED on-site within three minutes from the venue. The bill also mandates CPR and AED training for every coach in every sport.
The partnership will work to determine which Northeast Ohio schools need AEDs and distribute lifesaving cardiac defibrillators to those in need of the equipment.
The funding for the AEDs comes from the MTKYN Foundation founded by Cleveland Browns' cornerback Ward after he lost his father to sudden cardiac arrest in 2018 during a spinning class.
“United by our shared vision, the AEDin3 initiative exemplifies the power of collaboration and an unwavering determination to save lives. Our goal is to transform every school in Northeast Ohio into a beacon of preparedness, equipped with life-saving defibrillators and the knowledge and confidence to respond swiftly. Driven by our own personal experiences, we are committed to creating a future where no family endures the heartbreak we have faced, and where no student’s potential is cut short by sudden cardiac arrest. Together, we are champions of hope, driving change and empowering communities to take collective action to make a lasting difference,” said Nicole Ward, Denzel’s mother and President of the MTKYN Foundation.
More information on the AEDin3 can be seen below, including a challenge for Northeast Ohio athletic programs to conduct drills getting AEDs to fields and other sports venues in under three minutes.
“We are proud to team up with University Hospitals, Cleveland Browns, Denzel Ward, and his family foundation to distribute automated external defibrillators (AEDs) the portable lifesaving device to high schools in Northeast Ohio,” said Matt Kaulig, Executive Chairman of the Kaulig Companies Limited. “At Kaulig Companies we support the well-being of children and their families and know the importance of accessibility to an AED at school and in youth sports clubs. We are excited to launch the AEDin3 Challenge which will empower students across Northeast Ohio to prepare now to save a teammate’s life in the future.”
Earlier in 2023, an AED, as well as CPR was used to help save the life of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin after he suffered cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin's story inspired the NFL to start the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, which advocates for all 50 states to adopt policies to help prevent fatal outcomes when it comes to cardiac arrest among high school students.
