Free Daily Headlines

Business

Set your text size: A A A

Pardee, schools announce sports training partnership

Pardee CEO Jay Kirby, HHS and EHHS athletics directors B.J. Laughter and Doug Justice, County Commission Chairman Tommy Thompson and sports medicine director Dwayne Durham pose with student trainers.

Pardee Hospital has launched a partnership with the athletic training program in Henderson County schools to assist student trainers through teaching and hands-on experience.


Thirty-four student trainers wearing brand new Pardee Sports Medicine shirts in their school colors celebrated the new arrangement as they gathered at the Historic Courthouse to hear Board of Commissioners Chair Tommy Thompson read a proclamation making today "Student Athletic Trainers Day."
"Pardee couldn't be more pleased to be associated with you," Pardee CEO Jay Kirby said. "We look forward to growing together. If there's things you see we could be doing better from your perspective, please let me know but start with Dwayne."
That would be Dwayne Durham, whom Pardee recruited from Parkridge Health for the partnership. On contract with Pardee, Durham is managing the hospital-to-schools program.
Pardee officials met with Henderson County schools Assistant Superintendent John Bryant "to figure out ways we could contribute and give back to schools," Kirby said. On a fast track over the past 30 days, the parties hatched, designed and consummated the partnership agreement.
"Dwayne and I struck up a friendship and between Dwayne and John Bryant and myself we started talking about ways we could work together and be actively involved in our school system and give back," Kirby said. "At the same time we wanted to help growth and development of student trainers. And we couldn't have been more pleased to have Dwayne join us to drive this program and to grow it."
"What we hope to bring is first and foremost his knowledge," he added. "The sports medicine program at UNC will be involved in helping to grow and develop this. And the men and women who serve on our medical staff and who will serve on our medical staff will be actively involved."

The Pardee Sports Medicine program will provide athletic training coverage to area high schools and middle schools and provide sports medicine coverage at area events. The office is located at 643 Fifth Avenue West.
The Student Athletic Trainers Day resolution said that athletic trainers help prevent sports-related injuries and "recognize, evaluate and aggressively treat sports related injuries" and that their work on high school campuses is "preparing them for careers in physical therapy and sports medicine."
That is the case with Hannah McConnell, a junior at East Henderson High School in her third year as a trainer.
"Our biggest sport is definitely football because of all the injuries," said McConnell, the head trainer for the Eagles. "We set up our little station and we have all our medical equipment we use. We set up water to keep the hydrated and the ice in case they get injured. We do taping, we do therapy and we do rehab for all of them. I'm hoping to get my doctorate in physical therapy."
Durham said the student trainers are a great help to the professionals who are only able to attend the games.
"It's important insomuch that those of us are athletic trainers need assistance throughout the day in basically just preparing for the athletic event," he said. "Certainly you can't hand a 16-year-old the responsibility of patient care but it gives them the opportunity to be connected to the school. A lot of kids do this, and this is all they do" in extracurricular activities. "For many of them it becomes a career path. We teach them more than just how to tape an ankle. We teach them responsibility, commitment, how to be a professional, what's going to be expected of them."