CCSD close to getting trainers back

Adam Candee

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

Clark County School District and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center made significant progress Thursday in negotiations to provide athletic trainers for a number of local high schools as soon as next week.

That is the word from HealthSouth regional outreach coordinator Jim Porter, who represents the medical outfit that will supply trainers for all of the 4A high schools once a agreement is reached.

"There's been some progress and we've been in active negotiations," Porter said. "We're hoping we can get a deal done in the next 48 hours. It's looking good."

Both sides said that the financial end of the deal is almost done, but the holdup is over contract language.

Porter hopes that if a deal is reached soon, he can still have trainers at every high school by Aug. 29, the night of the season's first football games. As soon as a contract is in place, HealthSouth can have 16 trainers in schools immediately.

Football practice began Thursday in 94-degree heat with trainers in place at just five of 24 high schools. Basic, Coronado, Foothill, Green Valley, and Palo Verde all made private arrangements to have medical staff in place. Most football teams are holding two-a-day practices through the middle of next week.

HealthSouth provided trainers to high school's on the Valley's west side for the past five years. Sunrise Hospital covered the east side schools until last year, when it pulled out because of rising costs. Most Sunrise conference high schools operated without certified trainers last season.

In May, HealthSouth submitted a proposal to cover every high school to CCSD, but the district did not act on it because of financial restraints forced by the state budget crisis.

Still at issue is the order in which trainers will be assigned to those schools that do not receive the initial 16 people. HealthSouth is proposing that trainers be reinstated to the school they served last year, and then distributed to other schools on a geographic basis.

Nevada's delay in placing trainers is rather unusual. Officials from the Arizona Interscholastic Association and the California Interscholastic Federation both said that while their bylaws do not mandate athletic trainers for high schools, most school districts routinely provide them.

"Most of our teams have a team doctor there for the contest, and then trainers for practices and games," said AIA associate executive director Glen Treadaway.

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association does not require high schools to have trainers in place, although it does provide medical staff for postseason games. Even though there is no mandate, NIAA spokesman Donnie Nelson said the association "highly encourages" having trainers in place for athletic happenings.