Athletic trainers will be provided to all high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School district as part of a partnership between the district and Henry Mayo Newhall hospital designed to prevent injuries among student athletes.
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The program was announced at a press conference on Thursday, and officials hope that it will help students maintain healthy lives while remaining active in sports.
Greg Lee, director of human resources for the Hart district, said the trainers would be on campus every day for practices in the afternoon and would always be available for games, in order to properly treat injuries as they happen and give medical advice for whether a player should return to the field.
“This represents a culture change, because the coach is used to being front and center and having the decisions be theirs,” said Lee. “In the past, that decision has been left up to the coach and we’re realizing that may not be the best person to make that decision.”
However, the partnership is in part due to coaches recognizing this and attempting to find a way to protect their athletes.
“The coaches were the ones who were saying ‘we need some assistance’” said Lee. “The trainer is the one who is going to be able to fill that gap and close the mesh of that safety net (for the athletes).”
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Students are feeling safer about playing sports because of the new staff dedicated to safety, Lee said.
“We want the whole school to know who these folks are,” he said
Officials from Henry Mayo were excited to be implementing the program and creating a safe environment for school sports.
“We want to be a part of the solution,” said Roger Seaver, CEO of Henry Mayo. “We know the problem, and we have a great staff.”
Glen Dabatos, the director of rehab services for Henry Mayo, believes that the partnership will provide enough resources and manpower to address the issue of concussions and injuries in the Hart district.
The new athletic trainers will be in place at the schools soon. The hospital has already selected candidates for the positions, and these candidates will go through an interview process with the Hart district, said Greg Lee.
“Optimistically,” he said, “we would have them on sites in the middle of February.”
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