Take Heart America

The Del Valle Independent School District recently expanded its efforts to provide staff, students and community members with life saving CPR skills.  Thanks to a HeartRescue grant from the Medtronic Foundation and a partnership with the Take Heart Austin sudden cardiac arrest survival initiative, Del Valle has launched several programs aimed at teaching CPR skills throughout the school district and community.  Under the direction of Molly Garcia, RN, BSN and Mary Beth Denton, LVN (Del Valle Health Services), CPR training is occuring not only in the classroom but also at school district events.

At a recent High School football game, Mary Beth Denton and Kathleen Harris (AHA TC Faculty) set up a booth and provided Hands Only CPR instruction to students, families and others attending the game (Photo, Right, Mary Beth and Kathleen).  Those who demonstrated an understanding of the chest compression only CPR techniques were then eligible to enter a drawing for a free American Heart Association Family & Friends CPR Anytime kit.  Eric Constancio, a Del Valle Middle School student was the lucky winner (Photo below, Eric and his family).  The interest in CPR training is not new to Eric’s family.  His mother, a Del Valle ISD employee, completed an AHA Heartsaver AED training course through the school district. 

Thanks to Del Valle ISD and families like Eric’s, the Del Valle Community is becoming better prepared to help save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims.  Take Heart Austin appauds the work of Del Valle ISD and hopes to expand this program to other schools in the Austin area.