Doug Casa

A comprehensive survey by the Korey Stringer Institute of U.S. high schools finds that, while only 60-65% of U.S. high schools have a certified athletic trainer at games and practices on a daily basis, the actual percentage of high school athletes working with an ATC on a daily basis is actually between 85 and 90%. Because insurance premiums are usually much higher for schools without such coverage, for a high school not to have an ATC on staff is penny-wise and pound foolish. According to Executive Director, Douglas Casa, Ph.D., ATC, KSI is also finding from discussions with liability insurers and medical groups that insurance premiums for high schools without ATC coverage are skyrocketing; with the increased premium, in one instance, rising above the annual salary of the ATC, whose position was eliminated due to budget restraints.

The leading expert on sudden death of youth athletes argues that youth sports safety policies need to be developed and implemented by sports medicine professionals, not athletic administrators, and notes that the level of risk of catastrophic sports injury often depends on how a state athletic association responds to the death of athletes in their states.