TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—A local high school sophomore’s mission to expand cardiac screenings for students earned backing from Township of Washington officials at the May 5 council meeting.
Jordan Schwartz, a Westwood Regional High School sophomore, is leading a grassroots campaign to bring proactive heart screenings to students in grades 9–12. His effort stems from a tragedy in Mahwah, where a 16-year-old boy died unexpectedly at home due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
Schwartz shared that the boy’s mother—his aunt—had her own son screened as a precaution. That test revealed a serious heart issue that led to life-saving treatment.
“They found he had an underlying heart condition that would never have been known had the screening not been done,” Schwartz said. “It saved his life.”
Schwartz also underwent screening and was found to be healthy.
“I just thought it was important to make our community and schools aware of this ‘silent killer,’” he told the council.
Many families, he said, have no idea their children may be at risk. He cited Mahwah, Waldwick, and Don Bosco Prep as schools that already offer student screenings.
In Mahwah alone this year, 142 students were screened—three were found to have abnormalities requiring follow-up.
“This doesn’t just apply to athletes,” Schwartz said. “It can happen to anyone.”
He referenced guidance from the American Pediatric Association, noting that children should be screened every two years—especially if there’s a family history of heart disease. He emphasized that 1 in 300 young people may have an undiagnosed condition and called sudden cardiac arrest the leading cause of death among student-athletes.
“A simple EKG or echocardiogram can save a life,” Schwartz said. “Most cardiac fatalities occur before a defibrillator can even be used.”
He’s working with mCore Foundation, a nonprofit providing cardiac education, research, and screenings. mCore screens around 5,000 young people annually and identifies abnormalities in about 5% of them.
Schwartz began advocating last year and has helped lower the standard $79 screening fee to $25 by raising funds from local donors. He’s raised $2,300 of a $3,200 goal and is distributing fliers and working with Hackensack Meridian Health on a potential partnership.
Of the 62 screening slots made available, 55 are already filled. Additional funding would allow more students to be tested.
Council members voiced strong support:
- Council VP Steven Cascio said the township would share screening info online.
- Council President Michael DeSena said he’d encourage the Baseball & Softball Association to match past donations.
- Councilwoman Daisy Velez suggested a presence at next year’s town Health Fair and 5K.
- Health Director Judi Beckmeyer said she would explore broader outreach opportunities.
- Mayor Peter Calamari called the statistics “surprising and alarming,” and pledged $500 from the 5K Health Fair Trust Fund to support the cause.
Chad Ogden, director of partnerships at mCore, said the organization’s mobile cardiac units make it easy to reach students between ages 12–22.
“The American Heart Association says 1 in 100 kids has an abnormality they don’t know about,” Ogden said.
Since its founding in 2014, mCore has provided low- or no-cost screenings to more than 36,000 students across the country.
For more information, visit mcorefoundation.org.