April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Hauser partners with CRH for athletic trainer
Columbus Regional Hospital recently finalized an agreement to assign Amy Shipp to help prevent and address student athlete injuries before and during home games.
The hospital is picking up the full cost of Shipp's part-time salary and benefits. In exchange, the school corporation is providing Columbus Regional with continuously free advertising -- on gym billboards and published materials, for example -- and is making the hospital its exclusive provider of medical services in case a student has to be taken in for treatment of injuries beyond what can be handled on site.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek has prepared school office space for Shipp and is footing the bill to provide her with supplies, like tape, gauze and bandages, Hauser Principal J.P. Mayer said. But he added that the cost is worth it to the district, because hiring a trainer on its own would have cost the district thousands. And the peace of mind gained by having an athletic trainer ready at any moment is invaluable.
"In the past if someone got hurt, you'd lose valuable time by calling an ambulance to come all the way from Columbus," Mayer said. "Nothing ever happened, but we knew we could be on borrowed time."
Mayer said Shipp works 25 hours a week. That includes her time in the office and at all varsity/junior varsity volleyball, basketball and soccer home games. She worked her first sporting event Oct. 20.
Superintendent Shawn Price said pursuing an athletic trainer began with basic research. He knew the hospital supplied free trainers to Columbus North and Columbus East high schools and encouraged Mayor to find out more. Mayor contacted Sue Woolsey, the hospital's director of rehabilitation and mental health, finally reaching an agreement that the school board approved at its last board meeting.
The athletic trainer assignment went to Shipp, who attended Hauser and whose parents still live in Hope.
Having earned a degree in athletic training and related experience in previous jobs, the new trainer is prepared not only to tape ankles and respond to injuries, but also to teach student athletes and parents how to minimize the risk, Woolsey said.
She said concussion management is key, even for a school without a football team. Concussions can happen in almost any sport, she said, including soccer, which puts students in high contact situations.
A concussion can be caused by a direct blow to the head or an indirect blow to the body, according to the Sports Concussion Institute. Symptoms may include headaches, nausea or difficulty remembering or concentrating.
The Centers of Disease Control estimates that 1.6 million to 3.8 million concussions occur each year, affecting between 5 and 10 percent of athletes.
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