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There’s nothing quite like the energy of a high school sports event. Whether you’re spending Friday night under bright stadium lights or part of the booming echo of a packed gymnasium, watching local athletes play their hearts out is downright exhilarating.
But when one of those athletes gets injured doing what they love, it’s devastating. That’s why Hazleton Area School District (HASD) is partnering with Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) to keep its student-athletes healthy.
Scholastic athlete care
LVHN’s organized sports medicine program ensures HASD student-athletes are well prepared for activities, properly and efficiently treated for injuries and can return to play safely and quickly. These services apply to all senior high school and middle school sports (boys and girls) that are played on an interscholastic basis.
“Because our student-athletes are so important to us, we wanted a partner who would provide first-class medical treatment, injury prevention and strength conditioning among other services,” says Brian T. Uplinger, Superintendent of Schools, Hazleton Area School District.
Full suite of services
LVHN’s sports medicine partnership includes certified athletic trainers at practices and home games, concussion ImPACT baseline, and post-injury testing and educational sessions through Weller Health Education Center to encourage lifelong healthy habits.
LVHN also designates a sports medicine-trained physician as HASD’s team physician and provides a dedicated care coordinator to assist athletes and parents.
HASD health partner
HASD is one of the largest school districts in Pennsylvania with 13 schools, including Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) magnet school. The athletic program consists of 28 sports with over 1,400 student-athletes.
“The real value to HASD and its student-athletes is the continuity of services from injury prevention to injury care through to rehabilitation. They will have access to the full resources of LVHN’s orthopedics, sports medicine and rehabilitation services,” says John Fletcher, President, Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hazleton. “Our goal is to keep student-athletes healthy and on the field of play, but should they become injured, we will be right there with them to ensure appropriate treatment to get them back to play as soon as possible.”