HISD Begins Screening Sixth-Graders for Heart Defects at Key Middle School
As one of the most legendary shot-blockers in professional basketball history, Houston Rockets veteran Dikembe Mutumbo knows that sometimes the best offense is a good defense.
That’s why he joined HISD students and officials and representatives from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston (UTMSH) and Memorial Hermann Hospital at Francis Scott Key Middle School on May 8, to encourage students there to take advantage of the Houston Early-Age Risk Testing and Screening (HEARTS) program.
“We want our kids to be active and live longer,” said Mutumbo, “and heart disease is the number one killer. That’s why it is so important for you to take care of yourself, get active, get involved in physical activities.”
The HEARTS program will provide cardiovascular screening to 1,500 sixth-grade students at Key and four other HISD middle-schools this year—Luther Burbank, Lamar Fleming, James Hogg, and Jane Long—with the goal of preventing previously undetected heart defects from causing the death of students while exercising.
Dr. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist from UTMSH, noted that in the last year, there have been seven separate episodes of cardiac arrest and two deaths in school children while exercising. The HEARTS program is designed to prevent that from happening, through a combination of medical-history documentation, a physical examination, an electrocardiogram (or “EKG”), and “a special version of a sonogram where we actually look at specific views that show problems in children at this age in five minutes,” as opposed to the hour or so it usually takes to test an adult.
“A lot of people don’t want to do the screening for fear that it might hurt or be uncomfortable,” said Hannah Padilla, a 12-year-old student from Alvin ISD who discovered she had a heart condition through a low-cost screening at Memorial Hermann. “It’s not. It doesn’t even take long. It goes by like that.”
“I was playing basketball in P.E. when I felt short of breath,” added Adrian Longoria, a 15-year-old sudden cardiac arrest survivor from Willis ISD. “Within seconds, I hit the floor. It’s definitely something you can’t tell just by looking at someone. I feel very thankful to be here today, sharing my story.”
“Please spread the word,” said Rosemary Esparza, the parent of a 16-year-old boy in Kline ISD who also survived sudden cardiac arrest. “Tell your friends, tell you parents. You get to see your heart on the screen. It’s really cool.”
The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Memorial Hermann Hospital are raising the funds to pay for the screenings, which will be provided at no cost to students in the pilot program. The Houston Rockets donated a significant lead gift as seed money.
Parents of sixth-grade students attending other schools who wish to have their children screened may also do so in the next year for a cost of $150 at the Heart and Vascular Unit of Memorial Hermann Hospital.
To schedule an appointment, call 713-222-CARE (2273).
Individuals or organizations who wish to contribute to project funding may contact Memorial Hermann Foundation Director of Development Gayle Kinnie at 713-704-5249.
