Washington County schools earn Project Adam designation; AEDs, drills expanded across 16 campuses

Washington County Public Schools was recognized as a Project Adam “heart-safe” school division, the superintendent announced during the board’s meeting. Nurse Paula Nichols described the initiative, saying the division has 73 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) now placed so a device can be retrieved and a shock administered within three minutes in any campus area. She added that the AEDs were upgraded this year (a trade-in produced credit to buy new units), emergency response kits were attached for bleeding control, and all 16 schools ran cardiac-emergency drills and designated cardiac emergency response teams (CERT).

The designation was confirmed in a recorded message played for the board by Dr. John Phillips, a pediatric cardiologist and medical director of the Virginia affiliate referenced in the video; he congratulated the superintendent, the nurses and Paula Nichols for the county-wide implementation. Nichols said four school nurses are American Heart Association trainers who led staff CPR and AED instruction, that AED pads and battery technologies now last longer (monthly checks are performed), and that the Division submitted cardiac emergency response plans to local emergency management agencies.

Board members asked practical questions about AED placement and maintenance. Nichols said units had been moved from some gym-centric locations to ensure coverage within three minutes even when gyms were locked, that exterior AEDs serve athletic fields, and that she keeps a spreadsheet of monthly checks and maintenance. She said batteries and pad supplies on the most recent purchases require fewer replacements than older units and that pads now include an integrated child option.

The presentation linked the local effort to statewide legislative changes: Nichols told the board Project Adam’s 15 requirements aligned with recently approved House and Senate bills on cardiac emergency response plans. She also said the division had incorporated cardiac plans into building rental agreements and would distribute certificates and banners to schools.

The board praised the nurses and staff. No formal vote was required to recognize the achievement; the presentation concluded with board members thanking Nichols and her team and noting that the designation could directly save lives.

What happens next: school leaders said they will distribute certificates and banners to each school, continue monthly AED checks, run an additional drill in the spring, and post maps/locations for families and first responders.