Free Heart Screenings Offered To Batavia High School Students

BATAVIA, IL — Batavia High School is offering its students free electrocardiograms during the school day on Dec. 16. Not-for-profit organization Young Hearts for Life is partnering with the school to provide cardiac screenings.

The test is used to screen young adults to detect certain serious heart conditions. The process, which can detect about 70 percent of abnormalities, involves recording the heart's electrical activity using electrodes attached to the skin with mild adhesive.

The organization has screened more than 240,000 students, according to its website. Parents who want their children to participate in the free screening can register here.

Ahead of the event, the organization is looking for about 150 volunteers to help complete the ECG testing. Adults who decide to help don't have to be medically trained as they'll be required to attend a training program on the evening of Dec. 15. Volunteers who have helped before will also have to attend a refresher course that night.

Volunteers can choose from three slot times. The first session will last from 6:50 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and the second part will take place from 10:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. People interested can also sign up to help all day, from 6:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Organizers are asking volunteers to wear dark pants and a white shirt on the day of the screenings. Those helping will also be provided with a light lunch.

Sign-ups for both training and volunteer slots can be found online.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Batavia Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!)