A pair of local community groups presented Knox County Schools with four automated external defibrillators Friday in an effort to prevent sudden cardiac death among students.
The Rotary Club of West Knoxville and St. George Greek Orthodox Church partnered with "Project ADAM Tennessee" to buy the equipment. Project Adam was started in 1999 after Wisconsin High School student Adam Lemel collapsed and died of cardiac arrest while playing basketball.
The four schools receiving the automatic defibrillators include the Knoxville Adaptive Education Center, Richard Yoakley School, Ridgedale School and L&N STEM Academy. Each school will be trained by Project Adam and East Tennessee Children's Hospital as to how to use the devices.
"We hope to be in all the schools, the Knox County middle and high schools by the end of the 2013 school year," said Marianne Jennings, project coordinator for Project ADAM.
According to Jennings, with the new defibrillators, there are now nine in Knox County schools. Knox County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre said he was happy to receive them.
"Our goal is to make sure that our kids are healthy and safe so that they can learn in our schools and have a very successful future," he said.
Partners in Education Advisory Board President Herc Ligdis told 10News each defibrillator costs roughly $1,650.