Low-cost heart screening comes to Northeast Ohio schools, here’s how your child can get checked

MEDINA, Ohio (WOIO) - Medina High School partnered with the MCORE Foundation to offer low-cost cardiac screenings for students on Sept. 17.

The event was open to youth ages 12 to 22. The screenings are intended to raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest and identify undetected heart conditions.

Nina Sayre, a sonographer with MCORE Foundation, converted a room at Medina High School into a screening room, where students received EKGs and ECGs.

“These are more like screenings, we’re not looking for anything wrong per say, we’re making sure everything is right,” Sayre said.

How the screenings work

ECGs function like an ultrasound of the heart, while EKGs measure the heartbeat. Both can detect hidden abnormalities that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest, which occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating and can be fatal without immediate treatment.

“[Children] wouldn’t really have symptoms, so you wouldn’t really know unless you took some imaging,” Sayre said.

A pediatric cardiologist reviews each result and will contact a family directly if a possible heart abnormality is found. Results are also saved so families can share them with their own doctor later if needed.

Cost and screening process

Lisa Tennenbaum, executive director of MCORE Foundation, said the organization asks for a $79 donation in return for the heart screening.

“If a family can’t pay that $79, there’s no questions asked, we still screen their child,” Tennenbaum said.

Tennenbaum said 5% of the children MCORE screens end up having a heart defect detected.

MCORE Foundation turns schools into mobile screening labs in Northeast Ohio on a weekly basis, offering the screenings to families outside Medina as well.

You can view upcoming screening events hosted by the MCORE Foundation here.