FranU Designated First University in Louisiana to be a Heart Safe Campus and First Entity in Baton Rouge

Franciscan Missionaries of Our University has been designated a Heart Safe Campus, the first entity in Baton Rouge and the first University in Louisiana with the distinction.

FranU participated in a Project Adam site visit to gain designation as a Heart Safe Campus on January 10, an organization created by Patty and Joe Lemel in 1999 after their son, Adam, collapsed and suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball, in which an automated external defibrillator (AED) could have been used to save his life.

The University a total of nine AEDs around campus and two backups. These devices are used to evaluate cardiac rhythms and deliver a shock if needed. They are strategically placed around campus to meet the Project Adam criteria of being able to retrieve the device and deliver a shock within three minutes.

"During the drill for the site visit, we exceeded this expectation and delivered a shock in under two minutes," said Wenona Bell, FranU's Site Coordinator.

The FranU Cardiac Emergency Response Team members met Project Adam's criteria, which included local EMS being aware of FranU's Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, ensuring that the University is prepared during a cardiac emergency and making the campus safer.

"There are approximately 356,461 people a day who experience sudden cardiac death each year in the U.S.," stated Bell. "If we can save one, what a wonderful accomplishment."