Health Initiative

Free Pediatric EKG Screening at Miami Parks Potentially Saved 12 Lives

(Miami, FL August 23, 2019) - This summer, the City of Miami and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Heart Program once again teamed up to offer free EKG screenings to children participating in the City's summer camps in an effort to detect heart conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac death.

In all, 810 screenings were conducted at City parks throughout the summer, and 12 young people were identified as being in need of follow-up testing as a result of the EKG screenings. Notably, the 810 screenings conducted this summer marked a 47% increase in total screenings compared to last year's program.

“Our children are the future leaders of our community - future teachers, doctors, public servants - so we must do our part now to ensure their long-term health,” said City Manager Emilio Gonzalez. “The City of Miami is proud to partner with Nicklaus Children's Hospital and to extend these critical health services to children who otherwise may not have received them.”
 
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital offers free EKG testing for children in an effort to detect conditions that can lead to sudden cardiac death, which is the leading cause of sudden death among young athletes. Usually, the heart conditions that lead to sudden cardiac death have no advance signs or symptoms.

Each EKG screening can cost up to $433.00 per child. Through their partnership, the City of Miami's Department of Human Services and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatric Cardiology were able to provide these often-expensive EKG screenings free of cost to local children and young people ages 5 to 21.

Since 2018, Nicklaus Children's Hospital and Miami's Department of Human Services have coordinated a total of 1,362 pediatric EKG screenings in 14 different locations across the city. A total of 27 abnormalities have been discovered since the implementation of the EKG initiative. In all, Nicklaus Children's Hospital has provided $589,000 in in-kind services to local children at City of Miami parks.
 
Free pediatric EKG screening were conducted at the following City of Miami parks this summer:
 
Jose Marti Park
Grapeland Park
Shenandoah Park
Samuel K. Johnson Youth Center
Williams Park
Virrick Park