Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory) is a national program that helps schools and community organizations prepare for sudden cardiac arrest emergencies. It was created after 17-year-old Adam Lemel collapsed during a basketball game and died because no defibrillator (AED) was available in those first critical minutes. Today, the program operates through more than 50 affiliates across 35 states and has helped save more than 250 lives.
The Story Behind the Program
In the late 1990s, Adam Lemel suffered sudden cardiac arrest on a basketball court. A bystander started CPR, and an ambulance arrived within eight minutes, but Adam needed a defibrillator within two to three minutes for the best chance of survival. Without one nearby, his heart never regained its normal rhythm.
Adam’s parents, Patty and Joe Lemel, partnered with Children’s Wisconsin to create Project ADAM. The goal was straightforward: make sure schools and community spaces have the equipment, trained people, and response plans to act fast when someone’s heart suddenly stops. Adam had always wanted to make a difference in the world, and his parents built the program to keep that goal alive.
Why Schools Need Cardiac Emergency Plans
Sudden cardiac death in young people occurs at a rate of roughly 1 to 3 per 100,000 individuals per year in Western countries. Those numbers sound small, but cardiac arrest is almost always fatal without immediate intervention. The survival window is brutally short: for every minute without defibrillation, the chance of survival drops by about 10 percent. Schools are places where large numbers of young people exert themselves physically, making them a logical place to station AEDs and train staff.
The core problem Project ADAM addresses isn’t just the absence of AEDs. Many schools that own a defibrillator don’t have a plan for who grabs it, who calls 911, who starts CPR, or how to communicate across a building that an emergency is happening. A device in a locked office three hallways away from the gym doesn’t help if no one knows where it is or how to use it.
What a Heart Safe School Looks Like
Project ADAM designates schools as “Heart Safe” when they meet a set of preparedness standards. The requirements go well beyond simply purchasing an AED. A Heart Safe school has a written Cardiac Emergency Response Plan that is reviewed every year. It uses a communication code so that everyone in the building knows a cardiac emergency is underway. Local emergency medical services are notified about the school’s CPR and AED program so paramedics know what to expect when they arrive.
Staff receive CPR and AED training, and students get education on recognizing the warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest. The school’s emergency plan, including the locations of all AEDs, is shared with any outside groups that use the facilities, like community sports leagues or after-school programs. The idea is that anyone in the building at any time could be part of the response chain.
The Role of State Legislation
Project ADAM also works on the policy side, tracking and supporting state laws that mandate AED placement and cardiac emergency training in schools. The legislative landscape varies significantly by state. Some states require AEDs in every school building. Others mandate CPR training for students before graduation or require coaches and athletic trainers to learn the warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.
Tennessee became the first state to require schools to complete an annual cardiac emergency response drill in 2015. Other states followed with similar mandates, at minimum requiring drills whenever an AED is present on site. In 2024, Ohio passed a law requiring AEDs in every public and chartered nonpublic school, along with municipally owned sports and recreation facilities. That law also requires schools to adopt emergency action plans and practice them quarterly.
Project ADAM maintains a legislation chart on its website so schools can check what their own state requires and build plans that meet or exceed those standards.
How the Network Operates
The program runs through a network of children’s hospitals that serve as regional affiliates. Children’s Wisconsin remains the lead institution, but local affiliates coordinate Heart Safe efforts in their own areas. Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio is one example, helping schools in that state implement AED programs, train staff, and develop emergency response plans.
As of 2025, the network includes more than 50 affiliates spread across 35 states. Program leaders describe the 250-plus confirmed saves as a conservative estimate, since not every successful intervention gets formally reported back to the network. The affiliates provide schools with hands-on support: helping them write their emergency plans, connecting them with CPR training resources, and guiding them through the process of choosing and placing AEDs so they’re accessible within that critical two-to-three-minute window.
How Schools Can Get Involved
Schools interested in becoming Heart Safe start by connecting with their nearest Project ADAM affiliate. The process involves assessing the school’s current readiness, identifying gaps in equipment or training, writing a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, and training staff in CPR and AED use. Schools also need to establish their communication protocol, notify local EMS, and begin conducting regular emergency drills. The program’s website includes a state-by-state directory of affiliates and legislative requirements to help schools understand what’s expected in their area.