Loyola Academy- not unlike other high schools- had historically used outdoor AEDs on a ‘seasonal’ or temporary basis at its athletic fields. Now, they’ve upped their game, just in time for their first-ever night football game.
SaveHeart by HeartNation is truly honored to sponsor the installation of 2 new outdoor ‘smart’ AED cabinets for Loyola’s athletic fields. This includes a new SaveHeart Wall Mount unit at Hoerster Field, which hosted the school’s first-ever night football game on September 13. The other SaveHeart cabinet is at the school’s Munz Campus in Glenview. Both cabinets provide immediate visibility, access, all-weather protection, and 24×7 monitoring for these lifesaving devices, which will help protect students, athletes, teachers, coaches, parents & visitors from the largest natural cause of death in the United States – Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA).
Year-round outdoor AEDs are a game changer. Previously, the AEDs were often put in a plastic cabinet during warmer months and removed during winter. Sometimes, even during warm months, a school trainer or coach might ‘borrow’ the AED to take with them to other fields or facilities as needed. These older outdoor cabinets were not very visible, temperature regulated (AED could get too hot or cold in extreme weather), and they certainly were not monitored by technology on a 24×7 basis. That’s all changed, thanks to Loyola School Nurse Corry Braasch and Athletic Director Genevieve Atwood, who spearheaded Loyola’s AED program upgrade.
Founded in 1909 as a Roman Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school for young men, Loyola Academy has long been known for academic excellence, service for others, and dedication and commitment to “Cura Personalis”- educating the whole person. Now a coeducational institution, Loyola Academy is the largest Jesuit high school in the United States, with an enrollment of over 2,000 students per year. Loyola is also known for its athletic prowess, having won numerous state titles across several boys and girls sports, and its football program was named recently as the best high school football program in the state of Illinois over the last decade.