AdventHealth To Provide Trainers For All High School Sports

TAMPA, FL — AdventHealth has signed a one-year contract with the Hillsborough County School District to provide certified athletic trainers at all 28 high schools in the school district for the 2020-21 school year.

The move comes more than a year after the heat-related death of 14-year-old Middleton High School football player Hezekiah Walters during football drills.

A Tampa Police investigation determined that the team was approximately 30 to 40 minutes into the conditioning drills - which included weightlifting, wind sprints and water breaks - when the teen collapsed in the 90-degree heat. He was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His body temperature at the time of his arrival was 102 degrees.

See related story: Middleton High School Teen Dies After Football Drills

Walters was an incoming freshman at the high school. It was his first year participating in organized football.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner concluded that he died from exertional hyperthermia while performing exercises in the 90-degree heat on June 11.

Following his death, the Hillsborough County School Board adopted new guidelines for sports including hiring a certified athletic training for all high school campuses. 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.

However, finding a certified trainer for every high school in the county proved a challenge.

Two of the three independent trainers used by the school district no longer offer the service. The school district looked into using certified trainers from the University of South Florida's SMART Institute but the institute is no longer providing trainers due to the coronavirus. An outside physical therapy company, Select Physical Therapy, also opted out of signing a new contract with the school district.

On Monday, AdventHealth announced a resolution to the training dilemma.

The full-time athletic trainers will be at the school daily for conditioning and practices and will collaborate with the school’s sports medicine team.

Additionally, they will be on hand for 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 games, varsity regional and state championship contests.

“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.

As part of the agreement, the school district will contribute approximately $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.

The PT Solutions Sports Medicine model protects student athletes and the county from any injury or liability by using onsite athletic trainers to identify any risks for student athletes and partners.

“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,” said Superintendent Addison Davis.

PT Solutions, which currently partners with AdventHealth to provide physical therapy services to patients, will hire the team of athletic trainers. Each athletic trainer will be board-certified and state-licensed to deliver care such as CPR, small injury wraps and stabilization, and wound care.

“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. “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 complements the athletes’ desire to pursue their dreams and do it safely.”

The athletic trainers will begin providing services to the school district on Aug. 10 as players begin to report for conditioning ahead of the official start of the fall sports season.

The school district's new sports protocols also include:

• Setting guidelines for proper hydration, length of practices and access to cool areas.
• Certifying all football staff in Heads Up Football training.
• Providing at least one cold immersion tub for heat-related emergencies.
• Requiring training through the Positive Coaching Alliance to continue instilling a positive culture both on and off the field
• Limiting conditioning and practices to 20 people including coaches during the coronavirus pandemic.