Mercy Health Provides Athletic Trainers for Youth Football

Mercy Health has a long history of partnering with the communities it serves to help residents be well and its sports medicine professionals currently partner with 29 schools to provide services to help ensure the health and safety of student athletes.

Earlier this school year, the orthopaedics and sports medicine team expanded its student athlete partnerships to provide athletic trainers to Anderson Youth Football and seven youth football programs that play in the Greater Catholic League, which include Guardian Angel, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Victory, St. Antoninus, St. Susanna and St. Veronica.

“At St. Antoninus, the safety of our athletes is our top priority. Our partnership with Mercy Health allows us to provide the highest quality sports medicine services to our kids. Our partnership has exceeded our expectations and we hope to continue this relationship for many years to come,” said Football Coordinator Ike Kirch.

“Keeping our kids safe as they learn the value of exercise and team sports has always been a priority for us,” said Mercy Health Physician, orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Matt Busam, MD. “Mercy Health is proud to partner with these schools and Anderson Youth Football to ensure their student athletes have the best quality care.”

Mercy Health provides the schools with a certified athletic trainer for their home games to serve as the teams’ primary athletic trainer.

The athletic trainer ensures that injured athletes receive priority appointments with Mercy Health Physicians, who provide orthopaedic care for athletic injuries and injury prevention training for the athletes. The partnership gives the schools preferred access to treatment, diagnostic equipment such as x-rays or CAT scans and physical therapy options.