ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The Orangeburg County School District and the Medical University of South Carolina have entered into a partnership to provide high schools with athletic trainers.
Prior to this partnership, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School and Lake Marion High School were the only schools in the district that had athletic trainers.
Now, athletic activities for seven high schools in the district will be covered.
Brittany Miller is the sports medicine coordinator at the Medical University of South Carolina in Orangeburg and says this immediate care will help rural schools during emergencies.
"You never know when an emergency is going to happen,” Miller said. “So, one of the biggest aspects of our job is being able to provide that emergent care right then and there. So, we can do anything as simple as stopping major bleeding as well as proving a shock with AED and saving a life."
Miller says this will especially benefit the schools in rural Orangeburg County.
"In those rural communities you're not always going to have an ambulance that can be right there quick,” said Miller. “Sometime especially in my past experiences being in schools like that we have waited for EMS coverage for 45 minutes for an ambulance to show up."
Chris Wilson is the sports medicine program director at Medical University of South Carolina in Orangeburg and says this opportunity provides hands on care for student athletes.
"It allows us to keep our athletes, our young people safe in the community,” said Wilson. “Right it will allow them to continue to develop and to grow with the resources needed to be able to do that successfully."
Wilson says they will also be able to help with care after an accident or injury.
"That means having on the field athletic trainers to provide the safety and initiate any kind of care that is needed at that time,” said Wilson “And to be able to refer out to providers to maintain that continuity of care."