American Heart Association Names HCS Top Lifesaving District

October 5, 2022

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, the American Heart Association (AHS) announced that Horry County was the #1 lifesaving district in South Carolina and the #9 lifesaving district nationally, coming in just behind Los Angeles County.

Jason Shields, senior vice president of youth markets for the AHS, said that “Horry county had their best year ever with revenue and student participation.” He added that the AHS is “incredibly proud to work alongside all of Horry County Schools,” a partnership “that will allow students and their families to live a longer, stronger, heart-healthy life.”

In the past year, 35 elementary and middle schools in Horry County participated in programs aimed to educate students and their families about heart-related health topics such as how to identify a stroke, the dangers of vaping, how to give CPR, and the importance of both mental and physical well-being. AHS reported that over 28,000 Horry County students received “heart-healthy information in an effort to instill healthy habits that can last a lifetime in a fun, engaging format while helping those with special hearts.”

The AHS believes that students’ participation in these campaigns is vital, saying, “7 out of 10 incidents happen at home, and doing hands-only CPR can double or triple one’s chance of survival. Statistics show that 1 in 3 of us will have a heart attack. By participating in Kids or American Heart Challenge, all families will now have the opportunity to know what to do if the unthinkable occurs.”

Among HCS, several schools earned a special mention: Forestbrook Elementary was the #1 school in the state of South Carolina, Carolina Forest Elementary was #2 in the state, Ocean Drive Elementary was #4 in the state, and Ocean Bay Middle was the top middle school in Horry County.