Originally published in Southern Exposure Magazine —

On Friday nights in the fall, there are two things you can count on in Williamson County: high school football and world-class healthcare providers on the sidelines.

Working closely with Williamson County Schools (WCS), Williamson Health athletic trainers and Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee physicians work together as the official sports medicine providers for all public high schools in the county. Each of the nine WCS high schools has a full-time Williamson Health athletic trainer and a dedicated Bone and Joint Institute physician who work in tandem to care for the WCS student-athletes. Every Friday night, at every home football game played in the county, teams of Williamson Health athletic trainers and Bone and Joint Institute physicians, as well as Williamson Health EMS/ambulance crews, are on the sidelines, ready to provide immediate, expert care in the case of injury.

It’s just one of the many ways Williamson Health system is committed to serving the Williamson County community.

“This is a great way for us to give back,” said Scott Arthur, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Bone and Joint Institute. “It’s something we all enjoy doing, and we don’t see it as work. It’s a fun time to be out in the community, to work with our student-athletes and get to see sporting events—and we’re ready and available if we’re needed.”

Building the Dream Team

No matter the season or the sport, said Jay Moore, ATC, Williamson Health director of athletic training, Williamson Health providers are a vital, active part of the team.

“We work with every sport at every Williamson County high school,” said Moore, who oversees the athletic trainers, helps with tournament planning and manages the day-to-day operations of the athletic training program. “With athletic trainers at the school, access to orthopaedic physicians and paramedics on the sidelines, we have a whole team focused on providing our athletes with the best care.”

That care and expertise extends further than the sidelines, though. Each high school is assigned a full-time Williamson Health athletic trainer and dedicated Bone and Joint Institute physician who work together to support WCS student-athletes throughout the year.

“In the preseason, we focus a lot on injury prevention, and we work with the athletic trainers and strength coaches to decrease injuries on the field,” Arthur said. “During games, we evaluate players when they’re hurt and make sure they’re treated appropriately. They want to be out there playing, and often we’re able to evaluate an injury immediately on the sideline and determine if they can continue to play or need to be held from play and evaluated further.”

While Williamson Health and Bone and Joint Institute have offered these services for years, the Williamson Health Foundation recently joined the effort, helping to raise crucial dollars to strengthen the program.

“We are excited to provide additional funds to grow and expand the meaningful support Williamson Health and Bone and Joint Institute offer our community,” said Leigh Williams, Williamson Health Foundation executive director. “One of the best ways our board can invest in our community’s youth is to support all of our county high schools. We are proud to now be part of this exceptional program which provides support and treatment to our area high school athletes who experience an injury.”

Teaming Up to Support Athletes

As the Williamson County football season kicks off, the Williamson Health athletic trainers and Bone and Joint Institute physicians have already been hard at work helping teams prepare for competition. On a typical Friday night, athletic trainers arrive first to begin prepping for that night’s game.

“On game day, we get to the schools a little before classes end,” Moore said. “We start getting ready for the night, packing up supplies if it’s an away game or setting up a table of supplies on the field if it’s a home game.”

Doctors arrive next, Arthur said. Once the game begins, athletic trainers, physicians and EMS personnel are on full alert.

“We keep our eyes constantly on the field,” Moore said. “You’re always on during a game, trying to see if someone might be limping or coming off the field with an injury.”

The benefits of the program are clear, Arthur said.

“In most games, we may see a sprained ankle or a twisted knee, but you do have nights where there is something more significant,” Arthur said. “Our presence at the games gives the parents and players a lot of comfort.”

Having access to the team of sports medicine experts throughout the season—and especially after an injury—increases that peace of mind, Moore said.

“Having high-quality medical care right then and there is incredibly important,” Moore said, “but we’re with them from start to finish. We’re there when the injury happens; we help evaluate if they need to go to the doctor; we’re with them through rehab and getting back to playing. That’s so important in supporting our players’ athletic dreams in high school and beyond.”

True Team Players

The Demers family of Franklin understands that sentiment well. The peace of mind, comfort, expertise and exceptional care—they’ve experienced it all over the years with their son, Mack, a football player at Page High School.

“From head to toe, we’ve been to Bone and Joint Institute and Williamson Health for two concussions, a broken elbow, Osgood-Schlatter with his knee, a broken shin, shin splints and Sever’s with his heel,” said Denice Demers, Mack’s mother. “We’ve seen the best doctors, and they have made sure things are taken care of for my son.”

Demers credits the quick action and attention of Williamson Health athletic trainers and Bone and Joint Institute physicians with allowing her son to continue playing football, particularly after he took a hard hit as a freshman.

“Mack got hit twice in one play,” Demers recalled. “After the initial hit, you could tell he was a little dazed, but he ran after the guy and got hit again. The coaches and athletic trainers took him out, and we took him home to rest.”

The next morning, Mack said his neck was hurting, and Demers noticed one of his eyes was a little bloodshot. When she reached out to the Williamson Health athletic trainers assigned to Mack’s school, they worked quickly to get Mack scheduled for an evaluation with a physician.

“Our athletic trainers have been integral in helping us get appointments quickly,” Demers said. “I’d text them at 7 a.m. reporting that he wasn’t feeling well, and they’d have us an appointment by 9 or 10 a.m.”

The care and attention Mack has received through WCS’ vital relationship with Williamson Health and Bone and Joint Institute have played a vital role in allowing him to continue to play football at Page. Mack, now a junior, has already gone to state twice—though he couldn’t play during the second trip due to an injury.

Currently healthy and injury-free, Mack is grateful for the compassionate providers on the sidelines.

“The speed of getting an appointment, having athletic trainers you know you can trust and a hospital you can go to—that’s why this relationship is so important,” he said.