NATA Now

By David Stricklin MS, LAT, ATC, Head Athletic Trainer of the Seattle Seahawks

Hello! My name is Savannah Knighton and I’m currently serving as the chair of NATA Student Leadership Committee. I’m a senior athletic training student at Louisiana State University. This is my second year serving on the committee, as last year I represented District Nine.

As with many of you, NATA has been following the death of Jordan McNair, a 19-year old football player at the University of Maryland. While NATA cannot comment on the specifics of the McNair case, this tragic event has brought a conversation on medical care models at institutions to the forefront of sports.

Pop Warner Little Scholars, the nation’s oldest youth football, cheer and dance organization and Go4Ellis, an online platform that connects athletic trainers with sports event operators, announced a partnership for the 2018 season. Kicking off with a pilot program in Pennsylvania and Florida, the partnership is designed to increase the percentage of Pop Warner practices and games that have licensed athletic trainers on-site to tend to young athletes.  

With a greater emphasis placed in recent years on evidence-based medicine and value-based services at reasonable costs, NATA has launched a project to illustrate the value of employing athletic trainers as rehabilitation specialists in the clinical and hospital settings, particularly among the Medicare patient population.

Athletic training is not a stagnant profession. The people drawn into the profession are naturally movers, innovators and forward thinkers – so it’s no surprise that a profession full of people on the move is constantly moving. As athletic trainers become globally recognized health care providers, many settings want to capture the skills and expertise ATs bring. One of these settings is free-standing orthopedic urgent care clinics.

Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act as part of a larger Health Savings Account bill package (H.R. 6199) by a vote of 277 to 142. The bill now awaits Senate action. 

The PHIT Act would allow Americans to use tax-free accounts like HSAs and Flexible Spending Accounts to pay for qualified fitness expenses, including health club memberships, sports safety equipment, and youth sports fees. The amounts that would be available are $500 for individuals and $1,000 for families. 

By Marty Matney, MBA, LAT, ATC, Chair, Council on Practice Advancement

At NATA 2018, NATA launched the At Your Own Risk Share Your Story campaign. Share Your Story is an advocacy content campaign that features interviews with influential athletes, coaches and sports medicine specialists discussing various topics related to sports and safety. Participants like Kobe Bryant, Dr. James Andrews and Philip Rivers share their thoughts on what the role of a parent should be based on their own professional and personal experiences. 

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a document that all ATs should create for their workplace.  After reviewing and updating your venue-specific EAPs, set up a meeting with your administrators and coaches to ensure that everyone knows the plan in case of an emergency.  For more information about EAPs read NATA Position Statement: Emergency Planning in Athletics and Practice Makes Perfect.