Photos courtesy of Westerville City Schools
Among the most common injuries that high school athletes deal with are concussions, sprains and stress fractures; injuries that can be scary, and injuries that require medical attention.
But thanks to a partnership with OhioHealth, parents of student athletes at Westerville North, Central and South high schools can be at ease, as physicians will be in the schools and on the fields dealing with injuries sustained during the game.
Deputy Superintendent Mark Hershiser was part of creating that partnership about 10 years ago, and says the program began to address the need for physicians on-site for athletic training and during games. And having a doctor on-site isn’t just useful for medical reasons.
“The nice thing is that everyone that we’ve encountered with OhioHealth is always upbeat, always positive,” says Hershiser. “It’s been a great partnership.”
Dr. Kristen Dimitris of OhioHealth’s sports medicine department will be joining Westerville schools this fall as a team physician. When Dimitris, formerly with Franklin Heights High School in South-Western City Schools, found out her co-worker was leaving Westerville and the team physician spot was open, she jumped at the opportunity.
“As a sports medicine physician, it’s one of the things I’m trained to do,” says Dimitris. “I enjoy going to high school football games anyway, and now I get to stand on the sidelines.”
The Westerville campus of OhioHealth
Dimitris was a student athlete when she was in high school, and though she says she never needed to see the school doctor, she sees many benefits in having physicians on-site. When a young person is injured and has the opportunity to see a doctor right away, he or she doesn’t have to sit out as long, she says.
“For catastrophes, to have a doctor on site is good,” says Dimitris.
Dimitris says the injuries she typically deals with are seasonal: concussions in the fall during football season, shin splints and stress fractures in the spring during track season. She is also equipped to conduct x-rays in her office at the school, which is invaluable for non-emergency broken bones.
“If it’s an open fracture, (then) that would go to the hospital. But if it’s something that I think is broken, I can do it in my office,” says Dimitris. To get treatment started as soon as possible as well as for parents’ schedules, it’s beneficial to have a doctor on site, she says, “to at least get that initial visit without having to schedule a doctor’s appointment.”
Even if the team physician is not able to immediately help, he or she can refer the student to a doctor at OhioHealth hospitals, so the student gets instant help.
Westerville North faces off against Westerville South
“There’s a referral system that, if a student athlete is injured, they’re able to get in to see a physician and their athletic trainers immediately,” says Hershiser.
Doctors in the team physicians program are also available for yearly pre-participation physical exams. This is a boon for families that otherwise wouldn’t have the time or resources to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician, or just for those that prefer the convenience.
The partnership has grown to bring in OhioHealth in as a central part of Westerville City Schools.
“Whether it’s part of their administration group, part of their physician group, part of the staff that’s at the Westerville Medical Campus, it’s having people that truly want to be a partner,” says Hershiser. “I would say that it has expanded from its infancy of athletic training to a broad, district-wide partnership.”
Another OhioHealth program that has benefited Westerville schools greatly is one that helps non-English speaking families. OhioHealth even has a facility these families can visit each month for meetings.
OhioHealth has also provided with the district with space at the OhioHealth Westerville medical campus for student enrollment, CPR and emergency department services. The medical group even prints the district’s calendars.
“OhioHealth is an incredible organization, and they’re always looking for ways to help,” says Hershiser. “Those are important communication tools for us, as a district. … If you look at the (services OhioHealth provides), all these things are a benefit to our students and families.”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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