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Community Health Network Foundation donates life-saving equipment and preventive screenings to Christel House Academy South

For release on May 08, 2014

Donation celebrates 18 AEDs and 420 student athlete screenings distributed to 14 local schools

Indianapolis, IN--- In an effort to help students and teachers who may be faced with life threatening cardiac problems, Community Health Network Foundation has donated two Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and 60 student athlete echocardiograms to Christel House Academy South.

The full-rescue AEDs were installed in two key areas of the campus, and faculty members received training on how to use them when a student or adult is experiencing a medical emergency. With easy-to-follow audio and visual commands, AEDs are designed to be simple to use and will assist in rescuing anyone experiencing life threatening cardiac arrhythmias, which lead to cardiac arrest.

Certificates for the free student athlete echocardiograms, a preventive cardiac screening program designed by heart experts at Community Heart and Vascular, will be distributed to athletes with a family history of sudden cardiac arrest or other heart problems. This commonly used test allows a physician to see how the student’s heart is beating and pumping blood, and provides images the physician can use to identify various abnormalities in the heart muscle and valves.

Having resources available to keep our kids healthy and safe is of the utmost importance,” said Carey Dahncke, Christel House Academy’s chief academic officer. “Community Health Network’s donation of two AED’s has helped us fill a critical gap in our health care response system. We thank them for their generosity and for continuing to partner with us in the care of our students.

These donations were made in partnership with Community Health Network Foundation and Community Heart and Vascular. During the past year, the donor-funded partnership has installed 18 AEDs and distributed 420 student athlete screenings to 14 local schools.

Our donors are dedicated to creating positive impacts within in the communities we serve,” said Joyce Irwin, president and CEO of Community Health Network Foundation. “With their help, we are able to fund screenings and equipment that might one day save the life of a member of our community.”

About Community Health Network Foundation
Community Health Network Foundation is the not-for-profit philanthropic organization of Community Health Network, Central Indiana’s leader in providing convenient access to exceptional healthcare services, where and when patients need them.  Donations support patients, caregivers and Central Indiana communities.  For more information about Community Health Network Foundation, call (317) 355-GIVE or visit eCommunity.org.

About Christel House Academy
Established as a public charter school in 2002, Christel House Academy (CHA) currently transforms the lives of more than 600 at-risk students. The school has a 93 percent economically disadvantaged population and a nearly equal representation of Hispanic, Black and White students; 30 percent of the students are English language learners; and 16 percent receive special education services. CHA was Indiana’s first charter school to the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, and was recognized as one of 10 MetLife Foundation–NAASP “Breakthrough Schools.” For more information, please visit http://chacademy.org/.

Ryan Chelli, Media Relations
Ryan Chelli