HBCUs and Hispanic-Serving Institutions Get Targeted Heart-Stoppage Education

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects an estimated 1 in 500 people - yet a substantial portion of those cases remain undiagnosed, often until a sudden cardiac arrest makes the diagnosis impossible to miss. The condition thickens the heart muscle in ways that can trigger fatal arrhythmias during sudden physical exertion, which is why it accounts for the largest share of sudden cardiac deaths among young athletes. Among Black athletes specifically, sudden cardiac death occurs at disproportionately higher rates and is more often linked to sports involving explosive movement, like basketball and football.

On February 26, 2026 - HCM Awareness Day, observed on the final Wednesday of February - the American Heart Association concluded a three-year national campaign specifically designed to close awareness and preparedness gaps at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The initiative combined hypertrophic cardiomyopathy education with hands-on Hands-Only CPR training, reaching students, athletes, coaches, and families at campus events and major athletic conferences.

Why These Institutions, and Why Now

Choosing HBCUs and HSIs as the campaign's target was deliberate. These institutions collectively enroll millions of students, including a large proportion of Black and Hispanic student-athletes who compete in the contact and high-intensity sports most associated with HCM-related sudden cardiac events. They also represent communities where cardiovascular disease disparities are well documented but health equity interventions have historically been inconsistent.

"When students, coaches and families understand both the risks of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and how to respond immediately to sudden cardiac arrest, we create an environment where prevention and preparedness go hand in hand," said Matthew Martinez, M.D., an American Heart Association volunteer medical expert and co-author of the 2024 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline for the Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Martinez noted the strategy's dual emphasis: HCM education without CPR training leaves people informed but unprepared to act in the critical minutes before emergency services arrive. CPR doubles or triples survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest when performed immediately - a fact that takes on particular weight on athletic fields and gymnasiums where cardiac events can occur far from immediate medical care.

How the Campaign Reached Students

The campaign operated through multiple channels. English and Spanish-language radio public service announcements ran on stations serving HBCU and HSI communities. Campus CPR demonstrations allowed students to practice compressions directly. The campaign reached HBCU athletic events including homecomings and rivalry games at Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Howard University, and Xavier University of Louisiana, and covered Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournaments.

National media partnerships extended the reach further. Content integration through Sybil Wilkes' "Check In and Check Up" at the State of Black Health Symposium at the National Press Club, and distribution through the Black America Web platform with more than one million monthly unique visitors, generated hundreds of millions of impressions across the campaign period. Events at the United Negro College Fund Leadership Conference and the Hispanic Educational Technology Services Student Experience Summit in Puerto Rico added additional touchpoints with students from HBCUs and HSIs.

The campaign also built infrastructure for sustained engagement. ORNL's Heart Club - the Association's student-led campus organization - was expanded, creating a pipeline of ongoing health advocates among the student populations the campaign sought to reach.

The Clinical Reality Behind the Campaign

HCM's danger lies partly in its invisibility. Many people with the condition have no symptoms and may not know they carry it until a cardiac event occurs during exercise. Screening protocols for student-athletes vary by sport and institution, and the sensitivity of standard electrocardiography for detecting HCM remains a subject of ongoing clinical debate.

The awareness campaign cannot replace clinical screening, and the Association's materials are careful to direct students toward evaluation by a physician if they have a family history of HCM or unexplained cardiac symptoms. But population-level awareness of the condition's existence, its warning signs, and the importance of family heart history discussions contributes to earlier identification - particularly when combined with training that equips bystanders to respond effectively when prevention fails.

The campaign was made possible in part by a financial grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.