CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Autum Lopata has a serious responsibility.
She is contracted as an athletic trainer at Center Point Urbana.
“When you get there and[the athlete]needs CPR, you start CPR. If he needs an AED, if he needs to call an ambulance, I got an AED,” Lopata said. said Mr.
A team of medical professionals was able to help ensure Dummer Hamlin’s safety within minutes of the Bills collapsing on the field, but resources are more limited at high school games.
Often it’s just one trainer like Lopata.
“A lot of people ask, ‘Do you enjoy watching basketball or watching baseball or watching soccer?'” Lopata said. “I love watching sports, but I don’t watch them to see our team succeed. So that I can leave the stadium.”
Iowa high schools do not require an automated external defibrillator (AED), but the CPU does have an AED.
Lopata is at the top of the chain of command during medical emergencies, but cannot attend every practice or game.
“Coach is next in the chain of command,” Lopata said. “He must know what his duty is.”
According to the Iowa Board of Educational Review, coaches must have a CPR training certificate.
But that’s just one aspect of the effort needed to save lives. The state requires each school to have an emergency medical plan.
Mike Hilmer is North Lynn’s Activities Director and Head Boys’ Basketball Coach. He showed his plans for TV9 North Linn.
It tells you what to do in an emergency, such as where to find the nearest AED and how to drive to an EMS.
“Obviously, being in a rural community, you can’t get someone to the hospital as quickly as someone else,” Hilmer said. Responding will be much more important than if you were two minutes from the hospital.”
Lopata says coaches and trainers working together can bridge the gap between what small schools can do and what large, specialized teams can do.
“Everyone has a role,” said Lapota. “If everyone is prepared and understands the rules, high school can get the medical care it needs, just like in the NFL.”
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