Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is the leading cause of death in the United States, taking the lives of 600,000 annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. Most people have no clue that SCA is the leading cause of death in student athletes, the school system and arguably in ALL kids.

Yet, heart screening is not a part of the regular well-child checkup or the pre-participation sports physical. The research shows that electrocardiogram (ECG) heart screening is significantly more effective at detecting heart conditions than just the history and physical alone. That’s why the International Guidelines recommend youth be screened every two years through age 25.

The WWPF vision is to inspire & empower schools, sports clubs and communities to provide heart screening for every student athlete, and student; no matter their level of athletics, socio-economic status or geographical location.

For over a decade, WWPF has relentlessly worked to bring our vision to life and to elevate a national standard of care- one community at a time. Thanks to the support of many and an incredible network of partners who deeply believe in our mission, WWPF has become the largest nonprofit of its kind in the United States.

We would be honored to explore how to bring painless, noninvasive, life-saving heart screening to your community. We have provided heart screenings all over the world, though our focus is the United States.

Through the WWPF heart screening program and through our nonprofit Parent Heart Watch partners, there is no community in the United States where we cannot bring heart screenings.  We do not care who does the heart screening and we celebrate every nonprofit group living out our mission.

Below you will find the four WWPF Heart Screening models:

* Each electrocardiogram (ECG) heart screening is interpreted by a pediatric cardiologist or cardiologist (for participants 16 and older) volunteering to serve on WWPF's Medical Advisory Team. These are national and international level experts specifically trained on how to read ECG heart screenings for athletes based on the International Criteria.

*The program costs $20 per ECG heart screening, however we will never turn a child away who cannot afford to participate. Results are returned via email within 3 - 7 business days. Students must be 10+ years old to participate in our heart screening program.

*Each program WWPF partners with, we check the AEDs and provide a free SCA emergency action plan.

1. On-Site Heart Screenings

WWPF brings ECG heart screening to school districts, sports clubs, colleges, professional teams and youth medical providers across the country.

Why?
1. 5 minutes: The time it takes to screen one student
2. 95% vs 4%: ECGs are more effective in identifying those at risk than physical evaluation alone.
3. ~2%: False positive rate since the implementation of the International Criteria for ECG Interpretation in Athletes.
4. 0$ vs ~$150: With the generosity of many donors, there will be no cost compared to typical cost.
5. 3%: The number of screenings that are flagged as abnormal.

2. Self-Service Heart Screening

Through our Self-Service Heart Screening Program, WWPF will:
• Ship our ECG equipment and train remotely
• Donate ECG machine(s) if a partnering organization commits to 5 years of heart screening
• Help place ECG machines with the same discount WWPF receives from our partnering ECG companiesWWPF has partnered with hundreds of collegiate and elite preparatory school athletic programs across the country through our Self-Service Heart Screening Model. This model is only possibe when a program has fantastic athletic trainer(s) and/or school nurse(s).

3. Outfitting youth medical providers

WWPF advocates for youth medical providers to perform electrocardiograms on their pediatric patients using the International Criteria. Any doctor can review the International Criteria by viewing this FREE training module and apply in their own practice for the most current interpretation standards.

For any youth medical provider not comfortable reading ECGs or who does not have the time to learn the International Criteria, WWPF helps to provide in-office pediatric ECG interpretation.

4. Express ECG

For years, WWPF has had individual families reach out from all over the United States. WWPF is currently developing a model that will allow any family in the United States to request a 12- lead ECG mailed to their house.

The ECG will come with instructions and an easy to use electrode strip and will be interpreted by an expert physician trained on the International Criteria. If this is something you are interested in, please contact us at info@whoweplayfor.org to receive more information and to be added to the waiting list. This model will max out at 500 requests per month and will be delivered on a first come first serve basis.