High schools, youth leagues explain responses to medical emergencies
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Medical professionals are being called heroes for their quick action with Damar Hamlin in Cincinnati. He suffered a cardiac arrest during the Monday Night Football game. Just seconds after Damar Hamlin went down Monday night, medical staff was by his side.
KDKA-TV spoke with youth and high schools about how they respond to medical emergencies. While high schools and youth leagues don't have the budget of the NFL, they have procedures to protect athletes.
"This is one of those things where as much as you train, you hope it never happens. When it does and the pressure is there, you have to be willing and ready to step in and get it done," North Allegheny Athletic Trainer Bill Love said.
He is one of the five athletic trainers at North Allegheny. They will work events in addition to doctors and ambulance crews, depending on the sport. He is trained in CPR and AED usage, both credited with saving Hamlin.
"We're also trained in identifying, noticing a variety of different types of medical concerns that would be emergent or could be life-threatening," Love said.
According to athletic director Bob Bozzuto, he had an incident where a pole vaulter from another school missed the mat and was knocked unconscious. Athletic medical staff stepped in immediately before the child was life-flighted.
"With that assistance, they gave the young man a great opportunity to survive and he did," Bozzuto told KDKA.
At the youth league level, organizers look for volunteers each year to handle medical needs.
"At the beginning of the year, we ask, 'If something happens, do we have a volunteer that knows CPR, that is certified, who has a medical background?'" Pittsburgh NFL Flag Football organizer Rashad Colvin said.
When it comes to tournaments, Colvin said they will have professional crews at the games to treat the kids for any medical needs. Through a grant, his league has an AED device as well for their games. After what happened, they will make sure it's on the field from now on.
"That's probably something we'll want to look into now moving forward, just to make sure we have all the proper protocol," Colvin said.
Love said the need for athletic trainers is no longer a luxury but a necessity for student-athletes because every second matters.
"And if you don't have someone who is trained to do that, if you're just relying on a phone call to EMS, I think you put those kids in grave danger," Love told KDKA.
The PIAA requires schools to have AEDs, coaches to complete a first aid course and emergency plans.
They also lay out the medical coverage needed for each athletic event. Jump to page number 28 of this link to see the synopsis of medical coverage for events.