Within three minutes of someone collapsing, an automated defibrillator should be in a responder’s hands, wherever on campus it happened. That is one of the key requirements for a “Heart Safe School” designation, and five diocesan schools have met it.
“Heart Safe Schools is a wonderful example of prevention in action,” said Beth Bostwick, director of school health and wellness for the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools.
The designation comes from Virginia Heart Safe Schools at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, the state’s first and only affiliate of Project ADAM. The national nonprofit was founded in memory of Adam Lemel, who passed away after collapsing during a basketball game. Its program has helped save more than 200 young people and adults in schools, according to the hospital’s website.
Project ADAM requires accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs), trained responders, a written cardiac emergency response plan, and practiced drills. Although diocesan schools are not required to get designated, Bostwick said the program is “about much more than a piece of equipment on the wall.”
The program first came to the diocese’s attention through Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Vienna. Nurse Jennifer Bliven worked with the hospital’s team, and the school earned its designation in August 2023. It was the first in the diocese and the first private school in Virginia to earn it.
“I felt very passionate about bringing it up here,” Bliven said, who later shared her experience and paperwork with other schools to help through the process. The designation, she said, has also improved the school’s response to medical emergencies beyond cardiac incidents.
Other diocesan schools soon followed. St. Leo the Great School in Fairfax earned its designation in 2024 after a six-month process led the school to add three AEDs in the church, parish hall, and gym.
“Ultimately, it was about moving beyond assuming we were prepared to knowing we were prepared,” said school nurse Beth Kappes.
Nativity Catholic School in Burke earned its designation in March 2025, five months after nurse Kristin Gallagher began the process. Nurse Nancy Zevgolis started the process at St. John the Evangelist School in Warrenton, and the school earned its designation in November 2025.
“A cardiac emergency can happen to anyone, anywhere, and every second matters,” Gallagher said.
“We want everyone who enters our campus to know that their safety matters and that we are taking meaningful steps to protect them,” Zevgolis said.
The most recent school to earn the designation is St. William of York School in Stafford, where nurse Lorri Connolly said the school strengthened its emergency plan by working through 14 criteria over four months.
Many of the nurses praised Dr. John Phillips, medical director of Virginia Project ADAM, and Lexi White, the program coordinator, for their support during the designation process. Bliven said Phillips has spoken with other diocesan nurses about the program and is eager to help with their designation.
The effort reaches beyond the classroom. School buildings also host parish events and games, Connolly said, making emergency preparedness important for the entire school and parish community.
Bostwick said the effort also reflects the diocese’s mission.
“Our Catholic mission calls us to recognize the dignity of every human person and to care for one another,” she said. “Preparing to respond when someone’s life is at risk is a practical expression of that responsibility.”
For schools considering the designation, Kappes had a short answer: “Go for it!” The process, she said, is a chance to look closely at what a school may be missing. “When you have the right training and equipment, you feel more empowered to help and prepared to act,” she said.
Bliven said one of the biggest hurdles is having an AED accessible within three minutes of anywhere in the building. Because AEDs can be costly, she advised looking to donors or fundraisers to cover the expense. Nurses also encouraged involving administration and staff early and to collaborate with the local fire and rescue departments on emergency preparedness.
Even schools that are not seeking the designation can borrow its questions, Bostwick said: Are AEDs easy to find and working? Do staff know what to do? Has the response been practiced?
St. Ann School in Arlington has applied for its designation and is awaiting approval. Bostwick said her office encourages designation but does not require it, since schools differ in facilities and staffing.
Bliven hopes the initiative will eventually expand beyond diocesan schools to parishes.
“I would love to see it go further from just being an Office of Catholic Schools thing to a Diocese of Arlington parish thing,” she said.
Designations must be renewed every three years, and that cycle, she said, is a reminder that “preparedness is an ongoing responsibility rather than a one-time accomplishment.”
Find out more
To learn more about Project ADAM go to projectadam.com.
To learn more about becoming a Project ADAM heart safe school in Virginia go to bit.ly/4iUUddM or call 804-628-HRTS (4787)
