The Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing at Belmont University will host two major statewide healthcare events this week.
On Thursday, November 4, 2010, invited nurse leaders and other healthcare professionals from across the state will meet in the Curb Events Center at Belmont for the Tennessee Primary Care Nursing Summit. The Summit will examine how to maximize the contributions of nurses and develop recommendations to meet the challenges and opportunities of healthcare reform in the delivery of primary care services to improve the health of Tennesseans.
The event is scheduled in coordination with the release of the Institute of Medicine’s report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Dr. Susan Hassmiller from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is spearheading efforts for this initiative and will deliver a keynote address at the Summit. Other speakers include Dr. Paul Erwin from the University of Tennessee Center for Public Health and Policy, who will outline Tennessee challenges, and Dr. Peter Buerhaus from Vanderbilt University, who will look at cost and utilization data related to advanced practice nurses.
The Summit is sponsored by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, in conjunction with the University of Tennessee College of Nursing at Knoxville and the Health Sciences Center, the College of Medicine at the UT Health Sciences Center, and the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing at Belmont University. The Baker Center is a nonpartisan institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville devoted to education and scholarship concerning public policy and civic engagement.
Nurses across the state will have opportunity to watch a live or archived webcast of the Summit’s keynote addresses and can post comments on a blog hosted by the Baker Center. Input from participants at the summit and on the blog will be used by Baker Center Fellows to develop final summit recommendations and strategies. Once the Baker Center report is released, nurses can use the report to advocate for recommended changes with state policymakers and other stakeholders. Copies of the report will be available on the Baker Center website after the first of the year.
In addition to the Nursing Summit, Belmont will also host the third annual Tennessee Nursing Simulation Conference beginning on Thursday, November 4, 2010. Last year, nearly 150 educators and hospital administrators from Tennessee and various other states attended the conference, which is presented by Belmont’s School of Nursing and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee through a grant from the Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future – a collaborative initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation.
The conference is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of simulation technology and resources and to build communication networks for educators in Tennessee. Conference faculty include nationally renowned experts on simulation technology in healthcare education and training.
This year’s conference will feature a mass casualty disaster simulation presented by the Arkansas State University Regional Training Center for Disaster Preparedness Education. The Center is part of the University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions and offers certification courses in basic and advanced disaster life support. These courses provide training in areas such as detecting disasters, incident command, securing the scene and making it safe for responders to go in, assessing additional hazards, establishing triage and treatment, taking on and off hazardous materials suits, assessing and treating persons injured in disaster, and administering medications stored in the strategic national stockpile.
Occupational Therapy Alumni and Life Care Donate Textbooks to Current Students
Two alumni of Belmont’s Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) recently presented current students in the program with textbooks to be used in the coming semester. Tim Sullivan and Angie Salvucci made the donation on behalf of Life Care.
Life Care, which serves Nashville’s elderly population, has also donated textbooks to the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program for the past three years. Sullivan and Salvucci were adjunct instructors for the MSOT program over the summer.
Pharmacy Student Receives National Achievement Award
Pharmacy student Ali Foster is a recipient of the 2010 RXportfolios National Achievement Award for her outstanding professional portfolio.
As a winner, Ali will receive national recognition as RXportfolios sends e-mails about Ali’s award to 90,000 pharmacists, 9,000 students,1,500 pharmacy school faculty and administrators and 2,000 industry executives. In addition, letters are sent to all Pharmacy University Deans about Ali’s achievement.
A committee of pharmacy industry professionals selects one winner from each school of pharmacy, and the decision is based on content, quality of writing and overall accomplishments displayed in a professional portfolio.
Robinson Helps Bring Physical Therapy Services to New Nashville Location
Thanks to a new partnership between Gordon Jewish Community Center and Baptist Sports Medicine—one that Belmont’s own Dr. Kevin Robinson from the School of Physical Therapy was a part of—residents of Bell Meade and Bellevue can now receive medical attention much closer to home.
The recent venture made it possible for those seeking medical attention to visit a Baptist therapist at the Community Center for services including orthopedic physical therapy, aquatic therapy, sports medicine and back, neck and spine pain therapy. Bubba McIntosh, interim executive director for Baptist Sports Medicine, said he hopes the program will grow to include more services and expanded hours.
And grow, it has. McIntosh explained that even before the program’s official grand opening, patients began scheduling appointments. Since then, the clinic has begun to see anywhere from six to twelve patients per day, and that number only seems to be growing. The partnership will no doubt serve as a great convenience to the people of Nashville.
Miss Tennessee Teen All-American aims to study nursing at Belmont
From the Paris Post-Intellegencer. . . .
Henry County High School senior Hannah Robison is the new Miss Tennessee Teen All-American. She won the title Oct. 10 in Lebanon.
Hannah participated in evening gown, interview and swimwear before she was selected the state winner. She now advances to the national Miss Teen All-American Pageant in Philadelphia in 2011. The national title was won in the past by actress Halle Berry, spokesmodel Debbie James and former Miss USA Lynette Cole of Tennessee.
Hannah is a 2010 Girls’ State representative and is her senior class secretary. She hopes to study nursing at Belmont University beginning in the fall of 2011. She was also a 2010 participant in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at Harvard University.
Hannah pulled off a rare double earlier this year. She was the Hostess Princess for the World’s Biggest Fish Fry and also was named queen during the Fairest of the Fair pageant at the Henry County Fair, thus winning the top two beauty pageant titles in the county during the same year.
Hannah is the daughter of Pam and Rusty Robison.
Nursing students help serve the community
Recently, nursing student Ashley Scoby administered flu shots to Edgehill residents in the I.W. Gernert Homes along with School of Nursing faculty Dr. Anita Chesney and Dr. Ruby Dunlap. The shots were donated by Student Health Services.
“The three of us really enjoyed interacting with the residents of the IWG high rise,” Dunlap said. “This is the kind of nursing I enjoy most— offering health services right where people live.”
In addition to the flu clinic, 87 nursing students have made home visits to refugee family clients of Catholic Charities and World Relief Refugee Resettlement. The students provided health assessments, nutrition and medication instruction and instruction on the U.S. healthcare system. The families hailed from various countries, including Nepal, Burma, Iraq and Ethiopia.
School of Nursing Adds 4 New Faculty Members
The Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing welcomed four new full-time faculty members into the School of Nursing this fall. These new members include the following individuals:
Jamie Adam comes to us from College of the Ozarks in Missouri as a full time faculty member in adult health and will be joining us in August. She has a wide range of teaching experience including 2 years at MTSU. She has an MSN from MTSU as a family nurse practitioner and a DNP in Educational Leadership from Case Western Reserve University. Jamie has experience with high-fidelity simulation and has an interest in transcultural nursing. She is also fluent in Spanish.
Loretta Bond is joining us on a full time basis beginning in August to work in adult health areas. Loretta comes to us with many years of teaching experience, most recently at Marquette University and Western Kentucky University. She has been teaching in our Adult Health I labs for the past two semesters. Loretta has an MSN form Marquette University with a support area of curriculum and instruction. She is near the completion of her doctoral work at RUSH University with a research area in health disparities-cultural mistrust.
Sandy Rosedale is inaugurating a new role at Belmont as clinical placement coordinator. She will begin in July and will be on a 12-month contract going forward. Her role will include being our primary contact to all our clinical agencies. Sandy has an MSN from University of California, San Francisco as a Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. We have known Sandy well over this past academic year as she has served in a full time adjunct faculty role teaching in community health and leadership and management. She will continue to teach approximately 6 hours per semester.
Erica Sevier is a new full time faculty member with primary responsibility in women’s health. She will be teaching primarily in NUR 4210 but will continue to help with some adult health clinical from time to time. Erica has an MSN from Vanderbilt University in Women’s Health. Of course we already know Erica from her full time adjunct role with us over the past year. Erica is teaching in the OB course this summer and will begin her full time responsibilities in August while continuing her doctoral work at Trevecca.
Health Science Faculty News
Here is what some of the College of Health Science professors have been up to recently:
Dr. Michael Voight, a professor of Physical Therapy, was appointed to the State Board of Physical Therapy by Governor Phil Bredesen. Dr. Voight was one of 135 men and women chosen throughout the state of Tennessee to represent their respective areas of expertise. In regards to the appointments, Governor Bredesen commended “all those appointed for their willingness to serve the state through its boards and commissions. Tennesseans have always been recognized for dedicating their time and talents to serve their fellow citizens, and I appreciate these men and women for upholding this tradition.”
Dr. Voight also spoke at the National Athletic Training Association annual meeting in Philadelphia, at the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting held in Providence Rhode Island, and taught a group of 50 European physiotherapists the Netherlands about physical assessment of golfers and the implications for exercise in the management and prevention of golf related injuries.
Dr. Teresa Plummer presented at the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology of North America (RESNA) annual conference in Las Vegas, NV.
Using findings from her dissertation research concerning the current state of wheelchair assessment and procurement process, she presented and also taught a half-day instructional course on the “relationship between vision, posture and mobility.”
Dr. Penny Prowers organized a team of students that presented at the RESNA conference. A write-up of their experience at the conference can be found here.
Dr. Ruby Dunlap participated in the 2010 State Health Plan Regional Workshop. These workshops are conducted by the Tennessee Division of Health Planning to get feedback from citizens on Tennessee’s proposed health goals and strategies for the state.
Dr. Dunlap advocated for strategies designed for health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and the optimizing of the roles of non-physician clinicians such as nurse practitioners to increase access to health care and decrease health disparities.
Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni was appointed to the Statewide Advisory Board to the Governor’s Office on the Men’s Health Report Card.
Schools of OT and PT to host Amtryke Road Show
The School of Occupational Therapy and the School of Physical Therapy will jointly be hosting a workshop in early October focusing on the benefits of the Amtryke Therapeutic Tricycle Program—a unique mobility service that uses custom-built tricycles to assist people with disabilities.
The event, scheduled for the 6th, will be held in the McWhorter Building room 205 from 5-6 pm, as an encouragement for local therapists to bring the benefits of Amtryke to children with disabilities. Sue Haywood, a physical therapist from National AMBUCS—the non-profit service that owns and operates Amtryke—will be present to conduct in-service training sessions for therapists.
Over 15,300 AmTryke vehicles have been distributed around the world to date. The majority of these “trykes” are purchased by volunteers and donated free of charge to financially-needy children. The trykes themselves can be operated using hands and/or feet, and are designed to accommodate riders of all ages, sizes, and varying degrees of physical limitations. Both physical and occupational therapists acknowledge the many therapeutic benefits of the AmTryke program, mentioning improved motor skills, strength, and self-esteem as just a few.
Students are invited to attend this event. Click here for more information.
PT Health Fair: A Great Opportunity for Students amd Community
Many opportunities exist at Belmont for physical therapy students to get involved on the health front, both on and off campus. One of these opportunities—arguably among the most exciting according to past participants—is a series of annual health fairs held for fourth grade students each year. The event has become an annual occurrence in Dr. Pat Sells’ Health and Wellness course for second-year physical therapy students.
The most recent fair benefited over 200 local fourth grade students from both Carter Lawrence Elementary in the Edgehill community and East Cheatham Elementary. Participating students got the opportunity to teach a series of health and wellness topics, and to conduct fun activities with the children. Topics included safety, heart health, physical activity, dental health, nutrition, healthy bones, and smoking.
College of Health Sciences to host Mobile Healthcare Technology Summit
A panel of healthcare experts is poised to come together on Belmont’s campus on September 30 for the Mobile Healthcare Technology Summit. Industry leaders in attendance plan to explore how mobile healthcare technology impacts healthcare design, clinical practice and the overall future of healthcare.
“Hosting this panel at Belmont is an honor,” says Dr. Beth Hallmark, Director of Simulation for the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Science & Nursing. “We want to be seen as leaders in healthcare education; this simply reinforces our already prominent place in the community.”
Members of the panel include Joyce Sensmeier, vice president of healthcare information and management systems society at HIMSS—the largest U.S. not-for-profit healthcare association focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology—and Scott Cebula, former CIO for Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., president of Cebula IT Consulting, among many others. Panelists plan to examine the issues and opportunities that exist in establishing best practices, addressing legal implications and maximizing impact on patient safety and staff efficiencies.
Physical Therapy Students Present at Annual RESNA Conference
Four Belmont physical therapy students recently got the chance to present at the annual Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Their research project entitled, “Functional Outcomes and Patient Satisfaction of Client in the Seating and Mobility Clinic,” examined the overall satisfaction of wheelchair users with their product, as well as the patients’ care while in the Vanderbilt Seating and Mobility Clinic.
Betsy Codington, one of the students involved in the project, hopes that the their research would be used by Vanderbilt to “better inform and equip the clinic in serving their clients.” Other students involved included Sarah Jo Lyons, Larry Pemberton and Daniel Rogers. All studies were conducted under the students’ research mentor, Dr. Renee Brown from the Belmont School of Physical Therapy, who also accompanied the students on their trip to the RESNA conference.
RESNA exists as an effort to improve the lives of people with disabilities through the use of different technologies. The foundation’s yearly conference brings together a diverse group of therapists, seating specialists, engineers and end users for this central cause.
Belmont Increases Pharmacy Faculty with 8 New Appointments
Belmont University’s School of Pharmacy welcomed eight new faculty members this fall as the school continues its growth toward the goal of enrolling 300 students by 2011. Seventy-four new students enrolled in the PharmD program last week, bringing total enrollment to about 225.
The School of Pharmacy moved into McWhorter Hall, a new state-of-the-art facility several weeks ago, expanding classroom and lab space for the entry level doctoral program. The School remains on track in its effort to gain full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) once it has graduated its first class in 2012 and met all accreditation standards.
Hallmark Named Belmont Ambassador for National League for Nursing
Dr. Beth F. Hallmark, Director of the College of Health Sciences Simulation Center, was recently selected to be Belmont’s representative for the National League for Nursing. The NLN Ambassador Program was established in the fall of 2006 with an initial cadre of 126 members who teach in all types of nursing programs – practical nurse, associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral. Today there are over 700 ambassadors representing schools of nursing in 50 states and 5 countries.
As NLN Ambassador, it will be Dr. Hallmark’s responsibility to keep Belmont’s nursing program informed about the NLN’s programs, grant opportunities, and member involvement initiatives.
Dr. Hallmark recently completed her PhD in Educational Leadership with a concentration in E-Learning at Touro University International. She also holds an MSN from Vanderbilt University in Child and Family Nursing. She has been at Belmont University since 1997 and was appointed as Director of Simulation for the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing in 2009.
Belmont Celebrates Opening of New Health Sciences Building – McWhorter Hall
Belmont University celebrated the grand opening of the new 90,000 square foot McWhorter Hall at a ribbon cutting event held on campus Saturday. The state-of-the-art academic building houses the Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy, as well as the Department of Psychological Science. McWhorter Hall is being named in honor of Belmont Trustee Emeritus and Chairman of Clayton Associates, Clayton McWhorter, and his brother, the late pharmacist Fred McWhorter. Both men dedicated their careers to the healthcare field, making a difference in the lives of countless individuals and championing healthcare reform. In addition to his longtime relationship with the University and his work on the School of Pharmacy’s initial Study Team and External Advisory Committee, Clayton is also providing a major leadership gift in support of Belmont’s new academic building.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “This building is a model, 21st century academic facility that will provide the perfect space and environment where our students and faculty can intersect in service to help meet the medical needs of our community and our world. We are honored to have the McWhorter name on the building, knowing that it will endow this space with a legacy of compassionate, professional care for others that our students will be equipped to emulate.”
‘New Careers in Nursing’ Scholarship Program Continues
The School of Nursing has announced that for the second year in a row, it has received funding to award scholarships from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN). Grants provided through this competitive program will be given to students traditionally underrepresented in the field of nursing and strives to prepare culturally competent leaders in Belmont’s accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program.
NCIN was launched in 2008 to address the national nursing shortage and fuel the pipeline of diverse nurse faculty. “Through the NCIN program, we are challenging the nation’s nursing schools to be innovative and resourceful in how they grow their nursing programs, diversify student populations and contribute to the nursing leadership of tomorrow, said Denise A. Davis, Dr. P.H, RWJF program officer for NCIN. “We are very pleased to support this unique approach, particularly at a time when growing numbers of Americans are gaining insurance and entering our health care system.”
Dr. Chris Algren, Belmont’s associate dean of nursing, said, “We are so pleased that we have once again received funding for the New Career in Nursing scholarships. This program has increased enrollment in the accelerated program for second degree students who are underrepresented in nursing. Since little funding is usually available for second degree students, we are very appreciative to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for assisting us to meet the needs of these highly motivated students.”
Belmont Races Into Top 5 in U.S. News Rankings of America’s Best Colleges
University hits highest ranking ever; honored for teaching, innovation
At the release of last year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings of America’s Best Colleges, Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Seven is the perfect number—until we reach six!” Today Belmont leapt right over position No. 6 to land at No. 5 in the Best Regional Universities—South category, the University’s highest placement in its history. Since 2003, Belmont has risen 16 spots on the nation’s prestigious rankings chart, from 21st to 5th.
Fisher said, “There are times when even I am speechless. Rising to the Top 5 in U.S. News represents a key element of Belmont’s Vision 2015 plan. To reach this level of prominence already demonstrates the immense dedication and talents of Belmont’s faculty, staff and students in accomplishing what has clearly been an ambitious University goal. One thing’s certain: complacency is not an option. We will continue our efforts to seek positive change and growth at every opportunity.”
Belmont was also honored for the third year in a row by fellow college administrators as a top “Up-and-Comer” for making “the most promising and innovating changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities.” Recognizing Belmont’s vision to be a “leader among teaching universities,” Belmont was ranked second in the South category for strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and for learning communities.
School of Pharmacy Selected to Join Study with Vanderbilt for Interprofessional Medical Training
The School of Pharmacy at Belmont University has been invited to join Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in a three-year study to bring students in different disciplines together to learn to serve patients as a team.
The study is being funded by a $600,000 grant from The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, who for nearly 50 years has focused resources on improving the education of health professionals.
Through this grant, first-year medical students and first-year advanced nurse practitioner students from Vanderbilt will join with first-year doctoral-level pharmacy students from Belmont University and Lipscomb University and first-year master’s-level social work students from Tennessee State University to learn how to work together more efficiently and effectively.
‘Green Roof’ Completed on New Health Sciences Building
With the official opening of the new health science building next week, the installation of a green roof on 90,000-square-foot facility has recently been completed. The only large extensive green roof on an educational facility in Nashville, the green roof serves several purposes including a reduction in the “heat island effect,” which refers to the trend of generally higher temperatures in urban areas as opposed to more suburban areas. The green roof lowers air temperatures which helps reduce that effect. Green roofs also provide natural habitats for wildlife (birds, insects, etc.) and reduce pollution by holding pollutants rather than washing into groundwater, sewer or drainage systems. In addition, the green roof can retain some rainwater for irrigation and can reduce the heating/cooling costs by providing lower temperatures around air intake systems.
Pharmacy Care Center and Health Services Open Today in New Facility
Starting today, the new Belmont University Health Services and Pharmacy Care Center open their doors in the nearly-completed health sciences building, adjacent to the Inman Center. The collaborative initiative between Belmont’s expanded Health Services Center and the new Pharmacy Care Center will create a unique interdisciplinary approach to servicing the needs of Belmont University while also providing a working classroom for Belmont’s student pharmacists.
In addition to traditional prescription filling and or compounding services, the pharmacy will offer many healthcare items found in retail pharmacies (over-the-counter products, vitamins, first-aid items, etc.). The Pharmacy Care Center will also provide various pharmacist consultation, education and wellness programs such as smoking cessation, diabetic counseling and Medication Therapy Management (MTM).
Belmont Nursing Student Moves On from Tennessee Titans Cheerleading to Focus on Her Studies
Kristin Singh is one of Belmont’s many nursing students but she boasts an extra special extracurricular–for the past two years she has shared the sidelines with the Tennessee Titans as a Titans cheerleader.
She began her academic career as a marine biology major at the College of Charleston but through a series of major changes found herself in the neuroscience department. She moved to Belmont “because it was one of the only schools in the Nashville area that had a neuroscience major” and soon “started thinking about nursing after hearing how great Belmont’s program was.” Once in the nursing program she quickly formed a bond with Mrs. Keary Dryden, her clinical instructor her first semester. Kristin recalls, “I was so nervous for my first clinical, and she made it easy for me to relax and learn as much as I could. She still challenged me, but she did it in a way that made me comfortable.”
OT students reach out to Nashville’s homeless
Students in Belmont’s Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy recently lent their time and expertise to Nashville’s Campus for Human Development and the Odyssey program.
The Campus for Human Development was formed in 1995 by Room In The Inn and is the city’s only single site of services to the homeless, offering an array of assistance. The Odyssey program was designed to help chronically homeless individuals through a progression of basic steps that establish a stable and productive life including healing, education, life skills, recovery, job readiness, and housing. Men who qualify for the program are homeless and have been unsuccessful with substance abuse treatment in the past. Odyssey provides housing and therapy for these individuals over a two year period of time.
The School of Occupational Therapy developed a relationship with Odyssey through Professor Yvette Hachtel. Dr. Hachtel provides services, as needed, to program participants to help them increase their success in job situations, to acquire and maintain comfortable living situations and to develop new healthy habits.
The students assess the needs of participants and then provide groups depending on the current need and level of the client. In the most recent visit the students worked with the men to plant flowers and help in their assimilation back to a more normal lifestyle.
Healthcare Job Opportunities Continue to Grow
A story in today’s Tennessean about future job prospects included several paragraphs about the growth of jobs in the healthcare industry.
From the article. . . .
“Health care also continues to add jobs as the first wave of baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, hits the official retirement age at the end of this year.
Health-care employment, much like IT jobs, requires a degree of specialization. There were 13,760,000 health-care jobs in June, up from 13,134,000 in December 2007.
Employment in medical and diagnostic labs held steady throughout the recession, growing to more than 217,000 jobs through May 2010 from about 213,000 in December 2007.
Employment in hospitals rose in the same period to 4,705,000 jobs from 4,564,000. It’s grown every month but one since the recession began. Hiring in home health-care services grew to 1,066,000 positions in June from 934,000 in December 2007.”
The full article is linked here.
Dr. Andrew Webster presents findings of study to AACP
Dr. Andrew Webster, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, recently presented the findings of a study, co-authored by Cathy Turner, on the “Design, Development, and Implementation of a Professional Pharmacy Curriculum in Iraqi Kurdistan” at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting in Seattle WA. The AACP represents pharmacy education for the US and is comprised of all accredited colleges and schools with pharmacy degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, including Belmont University. Dr. Webster also chaired a discussion at the meeting on “Fostering a Positive Work Climate in the Department” and was installed as the Chair-Elect of the AACP Section of Teachers of Chemistry.
Robinson featured in News Channel 5 story
Dr. Kevin Robinson, Professor of Physical Therapy at Belmont, was recently featured in a News Channel 5 story about his research study with Baptist Sports Medicine, identifying risk of injury to student athletes.
The story can be found on the News Channel 5 website and the video can be seen below.
“. . . . Kevin Robinson, a Belmont Professor and physical therapist with Baptist Sports Medicine, believes those injuries are far too common.
“We’ve been rehabbing kids for 20 years. We’d like to be on the prevention side now,” said Robinson.
Robinson said new studies show that improved hip and core muscle strength can drastically reduce knee injuries.
Logan Plummer wasn’t sure what to make of the study until the benefits showed up on the soccer pitch.
“I’m able to keep my balance more, and not get knocked off the ball as much,” said Logan.
At the beginning of the study, Logan could barely keep her balance while jumping on one leg. After the training, the improvement is obvious.
“It’s about an eight degree change, which might not sound like much but when you’re talking about forces on the knee that’s significant,” said Robinson.
Robinson said the athletes also showed improved athletic performance in addition to having better stability.
Study organizers got what they hoped for– improved performance and a decreased risk of injury as well as keeping student athletes on the field and playing better in the process.
Baptist Sports Medicine officials hope to expand the study to two local high schools. They eventually hope to create a low cost, effective exercise program that can be used by schools across the mid-state to help prevent major injuries.”