districts seemed to balk at ….
districts seemed to balk at the proposed costs. Abbotsford’s athletic director Alex Larson noted that the Marshfield Clinic costs are “not feasible” in his written report to the school board at their meeting this Monday and stated that they were currently looking at other options.
“We did reach out to Aspirus and they told us they were not interested and we are still waiting to hear back from Bone & Joint,” Abbotsford superintendent Ryan Bargender said at Monday’s meeting. “Schools are also looking at possibly hiring and sharing a trainer.”
Bargender said preliminary talks in sharing a trainer were circulated via email but said he is not sure if that is a possibility as of yet.
“It wasn’t a ‘hey, can we meet and talk about this’ from them,” Bargender continued. “It was just an e-mail saying that they were not going to be able to fulfill the contract next year and here are our options. So not really a whole lot of love there.”
At Colby’s school board meeting, superintendent Steven Kolden expressed a similar sentiment, noting that proposed costs seemed high to him and that Colby too has been working to find an alternative option.
When asked to clarify on the need for an athletic trainer by the board, Kolden said, “Care and prevention of student injuries. Concussion protocol is huge. If our trainer says someone is not going back into the game, our coaches trust them.”
With budgets already tight and some local school districts like Athens already having to make serious cuts to staffing, it may be difficult for some schools to find alternative replacement options. While the WIAA does not require the presence of an athletic trainer at sanctioned events, they are highly recommended and have become a luxury that many programs have come to depend upon.
EMS services are currently provided at home football games, but all other athletic events would be left without an official medical attendant should the schools forgo having the services of an athletic trainer.
This proposal comes on the coattails of a recent announcement from Marshfield Clinic Health System that they would be cutting more than 300 staff and not filling over 500 positions that have remained vacant. The Marshfield clinic athletic training department would likely see cuts in staff if schools choose to explore other options and forgo the new agreement.
Marshfield Clinic did not respond to the Tribune Phonograph’s request for comment on the matter.
The school districts will need to decide if they will be re-signing with Marshfield Clinic by April 21. If they choose not to, the services will terminate on June 30.
