Claire Elmer
(Update: adding comments from local teen, registration update, and video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A simple heart screening could be the difference between early treatment and tragedy — and one Central Oregon student knows that firsthand.
On Tuesday morning, St. Charles Bend opened registration for its first annual “Strong Hearts, Strong Teens” event, offering free heart health testing for young people across Central Oregon. The screening aims to identify hidden heart conditions that can sometimes go undetected in otherwise healthy teens.
For Central Oregon high school senior and lacrosse player, Francis Vowels, a simple test turned out to be life-changing. She heard about an opportunity for cardiac screening through her sports team and decided to take part — even though she didn’t have any symptoms or concerns. After reviewing the results, doctors discovered a heart defect that required corrective surgery.
“I didn’t know you could have an asymptomatic heart condition and not know anything about it,” Vowels said. “After having this experience, my eyes opened up to students across the country — student athletes collapsing with sudden cardiac death — and these deaths can be preventable with these EKGs. If that could save another person’s life by going through these things, that’s so important. I think everyone should do it.”
Doctors say that early detection through electrocardiograms, or EKGs, and echocardiograms can catch potentially dangerous heart irregularities long before symptoms appear. According to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among student athletes, occurring in roughly one out of every 50,000 to 80,000 young competitors each year. While rare, advocates say the impact is devastating — and screening programs can reduce those risks through awareness and early treatment.
The “Strong Hearts, Strong Teens” event takes place on February 7th and includes several noninvasive tests, also helping educates Central Oregon’s young people on health safety responses such as CPR. The entire process is offered at no cost to families, thanks to St. Charles and community partners.
Within hours of registration opening at 7:30 a.m., all 128 available appointments were filled, hospital organizers confirmed. A waitlist is now available, though, for Central Oregon youth ages 12 to 19 who would still like to participate. You can find more information through provided links.
Earlier Story — BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Registration is now open for a new, free heart screening event aimed at saving teen lives in Central Oregon. St. Charles Cardiology and the Children’s Heart Center of Central Oregon will host ‘Strong Hearts, Strong Teens.’
On February 7th, teens 12-19 will receive screenings for serious heart conditions, an EKG and limited echocardiogram, along with CPR and AED training. Organizers say many dangerous conditions are detectable, but often missed in routine physicals.
You can register for the free event on the St. Charles website.
We’re talking today with a local17-year-old whose heart defect was found by a screening, allowing surgery before she had any issues. We’ll have that report on KTVZ News at 4:00 p.m. on Fox and 5:00 p.m. on NBC
Read the full release from St. Charles Health System below:
On Feb. 7, St. Charles Cardiology and Children’s Heart Center of Central Oregon are teaming up to offer a new free event – Strong Hearts, Strong Teens – to screen more than 100 teenagers for serious heart conditions and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Attendees age 12-19 will receive a screening evaluation, including an EKG and limited echocardiogram, designed to assess for heart conditions that can cause cardiac arrest or may warrant further evaluation. Registration for the 128 available spots is required and will open Jan. 13 at 7 a.m. at stcharleshealthcare.org/teenhearts.
“More than 2,000 young people die every year in the U.S. from sudden cardiac arrest, with young athletes being particularly vulnerable. The good news is that most of the conditions that cause SCA are detectible through a heart screening, which is why we are excited to bring this screening event to Central Oregon,” said Dr. Urszula Tajchman, pediatric cardiologist with the Children’s Heart Center of Central Oregon.
Summit High School senior Francis Vowels, 17, is working to champion this event among her fellow students because she knows the importance firsthand. A heart screening a few months ago revealed Francis had a dangerous heart defect, which has since been repaired.
“I was so lucky my condition was discovered at one of the student-athlete screenings,” said Vowels. “Most heart conditions like mine are detectable, but only with an EKG. It takes less than two minutes, it doesn’t hurt and it can literally save your life.”
The screening can detect concerns that are not typically picked up during a well child exam or routine sports physicals. Students attending Strong Hearts, Strong Teens will also receive training from professionals in use of AEDs (portable defibrillators) and CPR.
“We are thrilled to see an outpouring of support for this event from our health care partners and broader community. Thanks to the generosity of those who have donated to the Children’s Heart Fund at St. Charles Foundation, we all can come together to help keep our kids safe and healthy,” said Lesley Jones Larson with St. Charles Cardiology.
Strong Hearts, Strong Teens will take place at St. Charles Heart & Lung Center, 2500 NE Neff Road, Bend on Feb. 7 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This event is made possible thanks to support from St. Charles Cardiology, the Children’s Heart Center of Central Oregon and community donations to St. Charles Foundation.
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