Hamilton Community Schools has officially earned the HeartSafe School designation district-wide, marking a significant milestone in the district’s continued commitment to student and staff safety. The achievement comes through consistent training, planning, and emergency preparedness efforts now led by District Nurse Jen Yoder and School Resource Officer Deputy John Dekkinga, along with trained Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT) in every school.
Last week and throughout early December, Yoder and Deputy Dekkinga conducted more MERT drills, simulating a medical emergency to evaluate response skills and readiness. During the scenario, a call echoed through the building: “MERT team to the cafeteria. This is a drill. Medical shelter in place.”
It’s a message staff members at Hamilton have grown familiar with—because every building performs four MERT drills each year, each tailored to possible emergencies unique to their environment.
“A MERT drill is a medical emergency response,” Yoder explained. “We have a team at all buildings that know how to respond in an emergency situation. We do drills four times a year with varying issues or concerns—from cardiac arrest to life-threatening allergies, or even injuries like a fall with a concussion. We try to make each situation fit the building and the medical concerns that may occur.”
These drills are not only essential for preparedness—they are also a key component in earning and maintaining the HeartSafe School designation. HeartSafe Schools meet state-approved criteria to ensure buildings are ready to respond quickly and effectively during a cardiac emergency. Requirements include:
A trained Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)
A building-wide cardiac emergency response plan
A state-mandated number of CPR-certified staff
Properly maintained and accessible AEDs
Routine medical emergency drills
Documentation and application through the HeartSafe certification program, renewed every three years
“This year, every building in our district achieved the HeartSafe designation,” Yoder said. “That means each school has met the criteria to provide safe care in an emergency situation. Our staff are dedicated to helping others in a crisis—we train, we practice, and we’re ready.”
Hamilton's transportation department also participates in MERT training and drills, extending emergency preparedness beyond school walls and onto buses and travel routes.
For Yoder, the designation is more than a certificate—it’s a reflection of the district’s culture.
“It shows that our staff care deeply about the well-being of students and colleagues,” she said. “We know how to handle these situations, and we’re committed to being prepared.”
