Since September, Stokes has worked with the Houston Early Age Risk Testing and Screening (HEARTS) program, designed to screen all sixth grade children in the Houston Independent School District for cardiac abnormalities and congenital heart defects.
Stokes’ work included coordinating screenings with schools, doctors and technicians, as well as developing a business model for the HEARTS program. He managed screenings at two Houston area schools in which he helped screen 272 children.
About one out of 100 children in the United States has an undiagnosed heart condition.
In a screening of 94 children at Francis Scott Key Middle, 22 required follow-up and one child had a critical cardiac situation that required immediate surgery. Dr. John Higgins, the project’s principal investigator, estimated that the student would have experienced sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) within three months.
The success of the program has led to national attention. Higgins and Stokes spoke about the program at the recent annual meeting of the American Heart Association, a gathering of more than 30,000 in Orlando.
The attention could lead to expansion of the HEARTS program to other cities, Stokes said.
“I would like to bring this program to Arkansas so that the children of my home state can benefit from this necessary program and that all preventable sudden cardiac death will be a thing of the past,” Stokes said.
The project is currently funded largely in part by the Houston Rockets, who raised more than $110,000 at a recent fundraiser for the project to continue operations in the Houston area.
Stokes will graduate in May from the Clinton School’s Master of Public Service (MPS) degree program.
“I cannot thank the Clinton School enough for allowing me to have the opportunity to participate in such great programs like HEARTS all the while equipping me with the tools to perform effectively in such an environment,” Stokes said.
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