The Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center recently collaborated with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to offer an online CPR and AED training course to help schools be more prepared for emergencies that arise.
There are more than 8 million high school athletes in the United States, and NFHS is the national leader and advocate for high school athletics and performing arts programs. It has more than 90 courses available through its Learning Center.
The newest course highlights the importance of creating, implementing and maintaining an emergency action plan, along with identifying when a sudden cardiac arrest emergency is occurring.
“The course demonstrates what to do when someone collapses — calling 911 and managing the area, properly performing CPR, and appropriate use of an AED,” said Alex Diamond, DO, MPH, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pediatrics and Neurological Surgery at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and director of the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center.
Diamond has long advocated for safety in youth sports and is co-founder of Safe Stars, the first youth sports safety rating system in the United States.
“Sports have the power to transform lives, but it doesn’t just happen by rolling out the balls. We all have the responsibility to make sure that it happens in a safe and constructive way,” Diamond said.
“Partnering with NFHS to bring life-saving training courses to coaches, officials and administrators across the country to contribute to more kids playing sports in a healthy, positive and safer environment is going to provide more resources and opportunities for student athletes and improve safety standards.”
Through its 50-member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,500 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs.
“This course is an excellent resource not only for the interscholastic community, but for anyone looking for high-quality online CPR and AED training,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services. “We are so fortunate to partner with the Vanderbilt Youth Sports Health Center and believe this course can help to create safer environments for interscholastic athletics and activities programs across the country.”
Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities.
“I believe that when done the right way, athletics provides an unmatched vehicle to improve the physical, mental and emotional health for our youth,” said Diamond.