Athens, Ga. (July 29, 2024) – The Piedmont Athens Regional Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Department, together with the University of Georgia Athletic Association, recently held the fifth annual Emergency Care in Sports Conference for middle and high school athletic trainers, coaches, and student aids.

Held at the UGA sports medicine and football training facility on the UGA campus, the conference provides an opportunity for coaches and trainers to learn from experts in sports medicine on developing action plans to address and manage emergent sports injuries. Throughout the day, participants focused on problem-solving emergency management techniques, considering the variety of equipment and staff available to help or provide care during a sporting event.

In addition to learning taping and other first aid skills, 21 high school coaches and 33 student aids received training in hands-only CPR. Medical speakers included pediatric cardiologist Brandon Harden, M.D., orthopedic surgeon Jonny Payne, M.D., speech and language pathologist Marianna Wright, and community education nurse April Dorsett, who provided Narcan training. Maggie Taylor with the Below 104, an organization dedicated to providing education to prevent exertional heat stroke and Rob Lynall and Julianne Schmidt from the UGA Concussion Clinic were featured speakers. Participants then rehearsed how to respond to and care for sudden cardiac arrest, exertional heat illnesses, and spinal injuries.

Piedmont Athens sports medicine athletic trainers serve in high school athletic departments across the region and are often the first medical professionals on the scene when an injury or an emergency happens during a sporting event. Continuing their education and the education of the teams that they work with allows them to assess quickly a student athlete's condition and begin the appropriate treatment immediately.