TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County high schools will each have a certified athletic trainer for the 2020-2021 school year, thanks to a new agreement between the school district and AdventHealth. The deal covers all 28 of the county's high schools.
According to the American Medical Association, schools that have athletic trainers have lower injury rates and a larger overall focus on health and safety of student-athletes.
AdventHealth says the newly hired athletic trainers will be at all home and away varsity football games, as well as all home games for volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, softball, flag football and baseball. They will also attend varsity regional and state championship contests. In addition to providing emergency and non-emergency care on-site, athletic trainers will also conduct concussion testing for all athletes in the district.
“We are driven by a strong desire to be a health care partner in the local communities that we serve and reach out beyond the walls of our hospitals and physician offices to help people live healthier lives, which includes student-athletes,” said Mike Schultz, President and CEO, AdventHealth West Florida Division. “We are nationally recognized for our commitment to patient safety and it remains a top priority for us. Now, we can extend that focus from our health care system to high school sports and truly make an impact on the health and wellbeing of young people in our community.”
Hillsborough County will be covering part of the cost for the new partnership. AdventHealth says the county will contribute about $420,000 for the estimated $1.15 million program. AdventHealth, along with PT Solutions, will fund the remaining cost of the salaries and equipment needed.
In a statement, Superintendent Addison Davis said, “Hillsborough County Public Schools is dedicated to cultivating a safe and healthy environment for our student-athletes. Our commitment to providing certified athletic trainers for each high school has not wavered, and we are excited and thankful that AdventHealth and PT Solutions are willing to help our student-athletes beginning in the fall. Our district looks forward to a strong partnership with AdventHealth.”
PT Solutions is a privately held physical therapy practice based in Atlanta, Georgia. It provides physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, athletic training, and sports medicine services in outpatient, inpatient rehabilitation, and acute care settings at more than 200 locations across 18 states.
PT Solutions, who currently partners with AdventHealth to provide physical therapy services to patients, will hire the team of athletic trainers. Each athletic trainer is board certified and state-licensed to deliver care such as CPR, small injury wraps and stabilization, and wound care. On a day-to-day basis, the athletic trainers manage acute injuries and collaborate with the school’s sports medicine team, comprised of administration, coaches, physicians and physical therapists, to provide the most appropriate plan of care that allows the athlete to remain in their sport, in the safest way possible.
“As part of the Tampa sports medicine community for the last five years, we’re honored to provide an even greater network of sideline coverage and outpatient care to Hillsborough County. Our athletic trainers and physical therapists take a collaborative approach, alongside our partner AdventHealth and partner physicians, to prevent, manage, and care for a variety of sports-related injuries,” said PT Solutions’ CEO and Founder, Dale Yake, PT, DPT, ATC, OCS. “Our experience combined with ongoing research and training provides the best professional protocols for prevention of injury and high-level treatment when an injury does occur. This compliments the athletes’ desire to pursue their dreams and do it safely.”
The athletic trainers will begin providing services to the school district on August 10 as players begin to report for conditioning ahead of the official start of the fall sports season. They will also be a resource for faculty and staff within the district.
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