Youth Heart Screening Event
Healthy Petaluma, in partnership with the Via Heart Project and Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), and the County of Sonoma, presented a free youth heart screening event designed to detect undiagnosed heart defects that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death. This free event took place Sunday, February 27, 2022, at SRJC’s Petaluma campus and was open to all Sonoma and Marin County residents ages 12-25.
Participants were guided through 60-to-90-minute screenings in which a team of trained medical volunteers conducted a health history questionnaire review, an EKG test and – only if deemed necessary based on EKG results – an echocardiogram. The non-invasive process, conducted without needles or x-rays, respects each individual’s confidentiality, privacy and modesty. Screening results provided much greater depth of information than that of a routine physical and participants were guided to the appropriate follow-up steps, if indicated.
We could not have offered the FREE Youth and Young Adult Heart Screening without your support! We had 80 volunteers from across the Bay Area provide critical screening services for over 181 youth and young adults.
With your help, we found 3 individuals out of 181 screened who have potentially serious heart defects that put them at risk – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome (WHW) and Left Ventricular Failure. That means this single heart screening caught nearly five times the rate of heart defects per youth screened than the current statistical average. These individuals were referred for follow-up consultations with specialists to treat and meet each of their individual needs.
An additional 32 non-urgent issues were identified, such as high blood pressure and asthma. Those individuals were instructed to contact their primary care physician.
Cardiac arrest is the leading killer of high school athletes and the number one cause of death on a school campus. By identifying potential heart issues before they lead to cardiac arrest, we are helping to save lives.
Watch the event’s video here.
