Project Atom rollout: Socorro ISD to train 54 nurses and phase AED program across 50 campuses

Project Atom, a national initiative to prevent sudden cardiac deaths in schools, has recognized the El Paso region as the first in both the state and the nation to implement a standardized cardiac emergency response plan across Region 19, district presenters said.

Socorro ISD staff said district nurses have been central to strengthening on-campus emergency preparedness by ensuring staff training, maintaining emergency protocols and helping make automated external defibrillators accessible. “District nurses help create safer learning environments for students, staff, and visitors,” a presenter stated.

A staff member described a planned collaboration with El Paso Children's Hospital to support the district’s effort. “Through El Paso Children's Hospital, we'll be be able to do the collaboration of uh being able to accomplish the designation of hard safe schools. At the same time they'll assist us to meet those requirements established by project data. All 54 nurses will be taking part of the training. The implementation phases will be done um to become heart safe a program. We'll be doing five schools at a time until we reach all 50 campuses,” the staff member said.

The staff member added that the initiative highlights partnerships among organizations in the region — public-private and public-nonprofit — and that the program will benefit students, staff and personnel. “I just think that it it's going to be an incredible service that our not only our students but our staff and our personnel will will highly benefit from,” the speaker said.

District officials provided counts for the rollout — 54 nurses and roughly 50 campuses — but did not provide a detailed schedule or cost estimate in the recorded remarks. Officials said the rollout will proceed in five-school phases until every campus is included; no formal vote or board action on the plan was recorded in the transcript.