CCSD, trainers strike new deal

Adam Candee

Friday, Aug. 22, 2003 | 9:37 a.m.

Clark County School District and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center have agreed on a $250,000 contract that will provide athletic trainers for the district's 24 largest high schools. That's the good news.

The bad news is that HealthSouth does not have enough trainers to staff every high school. Sunrise Region schools will have to wait for their medical staff while those in the Sunset Region will be staffed immediately per an arrangement between HealthSouth and CCSD, according to Jim Porter, HealthSouth regional outreach coordinator.

"There are none of the Sunrise schools that are going to get trainers today," Porter said.

Local 4A football teams began practice in stifling heat more than a week ago with no medical staff on site, save for five schools -- Basic, Coronado, Foothill, Palo Verde, and Green Valley. All made private arrangements and will honor those agreements, according to Robison.

Both Porter and CCSD interim athletics director Dr. Michael Robison said that all other schools will be staffed by the middle of September at the latest. For now, trainers with previous ties to a school will return to that school -- HealthSouth provided trainers only for west-side schools for the past five years.

Most Sunrise schools -- namely the Northeast Division schools -- have not had trainers since the beginning of the 2002-03 school year. Sunrise Hospital previously provided those schools with trainers, but pulled out of its deal right before the start of last year because of rising costs.

Porter is working to hire more trainers, who are subject to extensive background checks and licensure through the state of Nevada at a $300 cost. As more trainers are hired, they will be assigned to east-side locations based upon both geography and the needs of the school.

"I don't think we had any scientific method in mind," Robison said of the placements.

Desert Pines coach Leon Evans said last week that he could not believe this implementation idea.

"That's the most unfair thing they've come out with thus far," Evans said.

The contract runs for three years, although either side can opt out of the deal before either the 2004-05 or 2005-06 school year. CCSD will pay HealthSouth $13,100 per site to provide a trainer for 800 hours -- an hourly rate of about $16.38. The school board will review the contract within the next two weeks.

Porter said the contract represents a discount from market price, including added services, of just less than $200,000. Robison added that the district will also save money by not having to pay for EMS staff to cover football games with schools not covered by trainers.

"That's a pretty darn good agreement," Robison said.

The contract negotiations did not progress easily, Porter said. Porter first submitted a contract proposal to CCSD in May, but the district chose not to act on it because of financial worries brought on by the state budget crisis. The two sides began negotiations in earnest in late July.

"They wanted a deal in which they got to dictate how they run our business, and how they charge for it," Porter said. "That's not how it's done."

Any acrimony appears to be in the past, though, as relief sets in that athletes will have some medical protection in place at practices and games.

"The importance of this is that the kids are taken care of," Porter said.

While neither side is happy about the delay in staffing every school, both are pleased that issues about details in the contract have been cleared up.

"It's been a mutually beneficial agreement," Robison said. "It took awhile to work out the contract language."

Robison said that the district is still working to find trainers to staff 2A and 3A schools.