A Message from Dublin Superintendent, Chris Funk
On Sunday, September 18, 2022 nearly 400 youths participated in the VIA Heart Project screen event at Dublin High School. Sudden cardiac arrest continues to be the number one killer of high school athletes and the number one cause of death on a school campus. It is estimated that one in every 300 youth has a heart defect they are not aware of. During this event, that statistic appeared to hold true.
This event could not have taken place without the generosity of Dublin Partners in Education (DPIE), who invested a significant amount to help ensure the health of student-athletes across the Tri-Valley. Thanks to their sponsorship, VIA Heart Project was able to screen 379 youths, conduct approximately 100 echocardiograms, discover concerns that required 13 individuals to have follow-up meetings with their general practitioner, and identified one student with a potentially serious heart condition.
Finding that needle in a haystack and potentially saving one student, their family, and friends from a tragic event makes an event of this nature worth the effort.
Dublin students, in particular the DHS HOSA club (Help Occupation of America), also played a critical role in supporting the event. They taught CPR, assisted with blood pressure readings, assisted with the set up of EKG machines and echocardiograms and served as greeters.
A huge “Thank You” needs to go out to DPIE for sponsoring this event. Your work continues to make a difference.
Sincerely,
Chris D. Funk
Superintendent
Dublin Unified School District
Thank you to Superintendent Chris Funk for letting us share this letter.
