Trinity Health helps launch a MI HEARTSafe School in Muskegon County
August 17, 2026
MI HEARTSafe Schools are ready to respond to cardiac emergencies
Western Michigan Christian High and Middle School Athletic Director Mark Hill cares deeply about keeping students, visitors, and staff safe while on the school’s grounds. He knows that, according to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in schools, and it is estimated that 20% of a community’s population is in the schools on any given day.
That’s why he and Trinity Health Athletic Trainer, Jerrod Harrison, MS, LAT, ATC, partnered to earn the MI HEARTSafe School designation for their school campus, making them one of the few schools in Muskegon County to receive this coveted recognition.
“Trinity Health Muskegon has 21 athletic trainers serving students and staff in 18 high schools, Muskegon Community College and the Grand Valley State University club sports teams,” said Jessica DeJonge, MSN, RN, clinical nurse educator at Trinity Health Muskegon.
“Eight of the athletic trainers are certified to teach the American Heart Association CPR curriculum. They conduct training during the school day and attend onsite sporting events. One of their goals is to encourage as many schools as possible to become certified MI HEARTSafe Schools,” Jessica added.
Western Michigan Christian already had a written cardiac response plan for their school, but together Mark and Jerrod worked to meet all of the other rigorous criteria to achieve MI HEARTSafe School designation — which includes a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP), a response team, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training, staff and student education, strategically placed and accessible AEDs (automated external defibrillators), and cardiac arrest simulation drills.
A partnership
With Jerrod’s encouragement, resources, and expertise, Mark pursued the MI HEARTSafe Schools award for Western Michigan Christian.
“I thought it would be in our best interest to become a MI HEARTSafe school,” said Mark. “That way we are sure we are following all safety protocols. Jerrod offered new resources to help us achieve that goal.”
“I work for Trinity Health Muskegon,” said Jerrod, “but I am contracted to the school to serve as athletic trainer part-time. The school’s cardiac emergency response team members are trained in CPR and in the use of an AED.”
“We have a total of five AEDs, including one that ‘travels’ to events with our sports teams,” said Mark. “If we had a cardiac emergency at our school, a response team would be ready to go at a moment’s notice. We could serve anyone who came to our campus.”
A New Muskegon County MI HEARTSafe school
Seven schools in six counties are in the process of becoming MI HEARTSafe Schools with the help of Trinity Health’s athletic trainers.
“Mark authored the school’s CERP. He was on top of all the requirements to meet the award criteria,” said Jerrod.
“It took only a few months to meet all the criteria at Western Christian,” said Jessica. “We began working on the MI HEARTSafe School checklist in the fall of 2025, but Jerrod and Mark had already completed many of the requirements, which significantly accelerated the process.”
In June 2026, Western Michigan Christian High and Middle School received notification of their 2026 MI HEARTSafe School Award. Schools that qualify receive a letter of commendation, a certificate, and a banner to proudly display inside the school, and they are spotlighted on the MI HEARTSafe Schools website, all at no cost to the school.
This certification lasts for three years. During that time, the staff must remain certified in CPR and AED training, review the CERP annually, and the school must continue to conduct drills and be sure that all staff members have education about recognizing sudden cardiac arrest and how to activate a response, when necessary.
A nationwide movement
It all began with Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory), which was “founded in 1999 after the sudden death of a 17-year old student named Adam from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, who collapsed while playing basketball. Adam experienced sudden cardiac arrest. CPR and an AED might have saved Adam’s life.”
Project ADAM is a nationwide organization with 53 affiliates in 34 states, including Michigan. Affiliates seek to support schools in becoming heart safe and to recognize schools that demonstrate strong cardiac emergency preparedness through awareness, training, and a practiced response plan. Project ADAM works with organizations, state legislators, and others to advocate for minimum statewide cardiac response standards in schools. The main focus of Project ADAM Michigan is to support the MI HEARTSafe School Award program.
With an emphasis on sudden cardiac death in youth and safety for any members of the community who are present in schools, the MI HEARTSafe School Award program is administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and their Michigan Alliance for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young. This program is supported by Project ADAM Michigan of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, University of Michigan Health. An award ceremony is held each fall, acknowledging schools that have gone above and beyond to meet the criteria.
Congratulations to Western Michigan Christian High and Middle School and their whole team!
Information for schools and heart safe efforts is available:
• Project ADAM Michigan - Project ADAM | University of Michigan Health Email: projectadam@med.umich.edu
• Project ADAM – National
• MI HEARTSafe School Award Program - MDHHS
• HEARTSafe Tri-Cities
If you’d like to know if your school currently holds the MI HEARTSafe designation, click here.
Trinity Health’s experienced team of Primary Care Physicians, Athletic Trainers, Physical Therapists, and Orthopedic Physicians provide care to athletes in our communities to prevent injury and provide treatment plans, including non-surgical and surgical approaches for sports-related injuries.