Max Schewitz Foundation: 2015 Screens for Teens Schedule

Thousands of Chicago area children will be heading back to school in the coming weeks and unfortunately that means some young adults in the United States will die due to a hidden cardiac condition. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimate 2,000 Americans under the age of 25 will die of sudden cardiac arrest in the coming year. It’s the leading cause of death on school property.

The Foundation kicks off its eighth year of Screens for Teens, an EKG-based cardiac screening program on Aug. 19, 2015 at Lake Forest Academy. All participants will receive an EKG and some selected by the cardiologists will also receive a free echocardiogram during screening.

The Foundation will offer heart checks to students at six high schools during the 2015 school year, with the potential of reaching over 7,000 students. The program’s mission is to identify students who are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) before they are stricken so they can obtain treatment.

“Early detection is the key to saving lives,” said Mary Beth Schewitz, executive director of The Max Schewitz Foundation. “We find at least one child with an undiagnosed heart condition at every school we test. It’s a quick, painless and non-invasive test and we hope parents will take advantage of this opportunity to check their children.”

In 2005, Max died suddenly and unexpectedly at age 20 from an undiagnosed cardiac condition. Like so many others victims of SCD, Max had no previous medical conditions or warning signs. If he had been diagnosed, life-saving treatments could have been implemented.

Screens for Teens EKGs and echocardiograms are interpreted on site by a team of cardiologists under the direction of Dr. Eli Lavie, Medical Director of the Max Schewitz Foundation. The Foundation’s hope is that EKG tests will become a part of student’s routine physical exams.

2015 Screens for Teens testing dates:
Aug. 19: Lake Forest Academy-student athletes only
Aug. 26: Lake Forest Academy- non-sports students
Sept. 16: St. Viator High School- all students
Oct. 7: Vernon Hills High School – all students
Oct. 21: New Trier High School– freshman only
Oct. 28: Lake Zurich High School – all students
Nov. 4 & 5: Adlai Stevenson High School – all students

About The Max Schewitz Foundation
Based in Lake Bluff, Ill., The Max Schewitz Foundation’s dual missions reflect Max’s life and death. His parents and family friends started the Foundation in 2005 after 20-year-old Max died suddenly from a cardiac arrhythmia. The Foundation works to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people and to promote conservation of fragile reptile species and their ecosystems. To date, 49,545 high school students have received free EKG testing from the Foundation. 1,050 students had abnormal results that required further medical evaluation and 705 were given limited echocardiograms. To learn more, call Mary Beth Schewitz at (847) 234-2206 or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.