Novant Health athletic trainers present life-saving devices to Rowan County schools

The Novant Health Sports Medicine team has donated six automated external defibrillator (AED) devices to high schools in the Rowan-Salisbury Schools System, improving access to life-saving resources and enhancing emergency action plans for various athletic venues. This portable device delivers an electric shock through the chest to the heart, restoring a normal heart rhythm in victims of sudden cardiac arrest and helping to increase the chance of survival by more than 90 percent, according to the American Heart Association.

“When a person’s chances of survival drops up to 10 percent a minute until defibrillation, we know AEDs save lives and timely access can make a tremendous difference for student-athletes,” said Bob Casmus, a certified athletic trainer and supervisor of Novant Health’s athletic trainers for the Greater Winston-Salem market. “Novant Health is pleased to help our schools meet not only the Safe Sports School requirement, but also the recommendations of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Nothing is more important than ensuring all of our student-athletes, in all of our communities, are safe and cared for. These AEDs will enhance and strengthen the emergency action plans for the high school athletic programs.”

This donation follows the official partnership between Novant Health and the Rowan-Salisbury Schools System, which began in December 2018 to provide advanced sports medicine care to student-athletes. The partnership puts full-time Novant Health athletic trainers at six high schools (North Rowan High School, South Rowan High School, West Rowan High School, East Rowan High School, Jesse Carson High School, Salisbury High School) and improves access to various medical services, annual sports physicals, concussion management and other educational opportunities and supplies.

 “The goal of our partnership is to enhance the safety and well-being of every high school student-athlete competing for Rowan-Salisbury Schools,” said Dr. Eric Warren, medical director for Novant Health’s sports medicine program. “While we are there to help a student-athlete when an injury or other sports-related emergency occurs, our primary focus is on keeping our young people healthy both on and off the field. This includes educating coaches, parents and the athletes on everything from the importance of warmups and nutrition to concussion management and overall wellness programs. We’re really looking forward to this work and are proud of this partnership.”