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Community Corner

Screens for Teens Makes Second Visit to Grayslake North High School

The Max Schewitz Foundation will bring its Screens for Teens, a free school-wide EKG screening program, to Grayslake North High School on Wednesday, February 27, 2013.  The Foundation’s mission is to help identify students who are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) before they are stricken.


Testing is open to all Grayslake North High School students who have completed a permission form. Parents can register their student online or by downloading a form from the school’s website. In addition to the free EKG, a subset of students will receive free echocardiograms.   The Foundation is on pace to test almost 35,000 students by the end of the school year. 


“Grayslake North is proud to partner with the Max Schewitz Foundation,” said Dr. James Roscoe, Principal at Grayslake North High School. “We’re excited to have this wonderful opportunity at our school. In 2010, over 60 percent of our student body received free EKG screens through this program. We thank and applaud the Max Schewitz Foundation for their time and dedication to this wonderful program.”

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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. 


Interpretation of All Screens for Teens ECGs is overseen by Dr. Eli Lavie, of NorthShore University HealthSystems and Medical Director of the Max Schewitz Foundation.  The Foundation's goal is that EKG tests will become a part of student’s routine physical exams.

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To register online or to download a paper form, visit EKGyourteen.org or the Grayslake North High School website or get one at school. Completed paper forms may be returned to the Grayslake North High School office.


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, nearly 30,000 high school students have received free ECG testing from the Foundation. 492 students had abnormal results that required further evaluation and of those, 328 students were referred to a specialist for further medical evaluations.  To learn more, call Mary Beth Schewitz at (847) 234-2206 or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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