CONTACT:
- Melody Rasmor, College of Nursing, 360-546-9619, rasmor@vancouver.wsu.edu
- Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu
VANCOUVER, Wash. – Washington State University Vancouver nursing students are partnering with the Quinn Driscoll Foundation and Southwest Washington Medical Center to offer free advanced heart screenings to student athletes in Clark County.
The Young Champions Heart Screening Clinic will take place 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Feb. 26 at Southwest Washington Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Center in the Firstenburg Tower, located at 400 N.E. Mother Joseph Place in Vancouver.
The clinic provides youth with the opportunity to have a comprehensive cardiac screening at no cost. Screenings include a questionnaire, blood pressure check, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and cardiologist consultation.
The Young Champions Heart Screening Clinic aims to detect hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a serious heart condition that is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. HCM exists in roughly one out of every 500 individuals. Approximately one case of sudden cardiac death occurs every three days in organized youth sports across the United States.
Any Clark County middle or high school athlete, band member or cheerleader 13-18-years old is eligible for a Young Champions Heart Screening. Although designed for the student athlete, all children in the age group who have a family history of HCM and may be at risk are welcome.
Registration is required. To schedule a student heart screening, register online at or call 360-514-7755. Although there is no charge for the screening, a suggested $25 donation to the Quinn Driscoll Foundation is appreciated to support future screening events.
The Quinn Driscoll Foundation is named for 13-year-old Quinn Driscoll, a student athlete at Wy’ East Middle School who died in 2009 after suffering cardiac arrest while running on the track during gym class. Quinn’s sudden cardiac arrest took his life without symptoms and was caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. From his tragic death, the Driscoll family established the Quinn Driscoll Foundation, a community-based 501(c) 3 dedicated to awareness, education and testing for the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest in young people.
Scott Driscoll, father of Quinn and president of the Quinn Driscoll Foundation, believes the efforts of 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø nursing students at the Young Champions Heart Screening Clinic will be beneficial for attendees and volunteers alike.
"I am honored that the College of Nursing at 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø is getting involved in our mission to educate and screen young people for issues surrounding sudden cardiac arrest. Having volunteers from the nursing school provides us with the opportunity to have a more comprehensive impact on the community. Moreover, it's a great opportunity for nursing students to get practical, hands-on experience," said Driscoll.
91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø family nurse practitioner students in the master's graduate nursing program will help administer the screenings. These students are licensed registered nurse's working towards obtaining advanced degrees to become primary care providers.
Melody Rasmor, clinical assistant professor of nursing at 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø, is excited that nursing students will be able to participate in a clinic where they can simultaneously offer their care-giving skills and learn about sudden cardiac arrest.
"Our students are volunteering at the Young Champions Heart Screening Clinic because they want a better sense of how important it is to carefully screen youth athletes. We expect that all attendees will get the best possible care and early prevention of a sudden cardiac arrest," said Rasmor.
For more information on the Quinn Driscoll Foundation, visit
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